Naraku's Prisoner
by Ethril
Summary: Kagome is captured by Naraku, can Inu-Yasha and his gang rescue Kagome in time? Naraku has other plans for the priestess. Will Kagome be able to stay sane while Naraku plays mind games? Is it a mind game? COMPLETE. Sequel is "Naraku's Child"
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha. Under different circumstances I would but unfortunately I do not.

Naraku's Prisoner

Chapter one: A Plan For Pain

By Ethril Dragon

'Why did I listen to that damned monk?' Inu-Yasha ranted inside his own mind. The group had just left the most recent village and had been unsuccessful in finding a jewel shard. Once again the villagers had treated Inu-Yasha as a piece of trash, what with their dirty looks and silent glares. Inu-Yasha glared around him at everyone and everything. He was still in a bad mind even with the village behind them.

Inu-Yasha had tried to travel ahead of the group to avoid the villages, but last time he had done that Kagome had ended up hurting her wrist. After that Inu-Yasha had decided he couldn't leave Kagome alone. Inu-Yasha glanced back at Kagome and growled softly. She was so injury prone he wouldn't be surprised if she broke something by tripping over a pebble. Needless to say, now he had to go into each village with the group and deal with the glares of the villagers.

A few days ago, when Kagome had returned home, Miroku had headed out to search for rumors about jewel shards. Shortly after Kagome had returned, Miroku had returned to report on his findings. Supposedly there was a jewel shard being kept in the shrine in a southern village. The shrine had been a bust. Now they were just wandering south to see what else they could find.

Kagome winced as she walked. Last night she'd been stumbling to the bathroom with the lights off. Normally she could find her way around her home just fine, but this time she had tripped over her lazy cat. Her crash had woken up her family and her mother had taken her to the hospital. Kagome hadn't broken anything, but she'd twisted her ankle pretty badly. She could walk on it, but the amount of walking they'd done today had been hard on her ankle. Sensing that Inu-Yasha was in a bad mood Kagome kept quiet. The last thing she needed was for Inu-Yasha to direct his bad mood at her. She'd rewrap her ankle when they stopped for the night and then take a few pain killers. Maybe they could find a river or something so she could soak her ankle in the cold water..

"Momma what's wrong?" Shippo asked suddenly out of the blue. He had been riding on Sango's shoulder for the past hour. He hopped off of Sango's shoulder and bounced over to his adoptive mother. "You're limping!" He observed as he lightly and carefully jumped up into Kagome's arms. His outburst had attracted the attention of the rest of the group.

Sango came up to Kagome and then knelt down to get a better look at her ankle. Working with sprains was something she'd learned during her training as a slayer. Growing up as a demon slayer had gotten her used to dealing with breaks and sprains. "We have to stop; Kagome can't walk on her ankle anymore." Sango said as she stood up. She sighed and turned to look at Inu-Yasha.

Inu-Yasha felt his anger rise up once more. He dug his toes into the dirt and ground his teeth as he tried to force himself from erupting. "Feh." That one word was all he was able to say without cursing. He felt his shoulders shake as he turned and left the path and headed for the closest defensible position. Tonight was the new moon and he was not looking forward to it.

Inu-Yasha jumped into the tree and watched as Sango carefully lead Kagome into the camp site. Inu-Yasha could tell that Kagome was trying to hide her limp, but the way she clung to Sango's arm told him it was worse than she was letting off. The young priestess really was in a lot of pain. Inu-Yasha cursed and dug his claws into the tree trunk against his back. Why the hell had she kept her pain quiet? Was the wench determined to injure herself even more? And why the hell hadn't he noticed sooner?

Kagome winced as she sat down. Her ankle had swollen pretty badly since leaving the village. Kagome glanced up at Inu-Yasha and she bit her lip to hold back a whimper. Inu-Yasha had given her the cold shoulder all day and now she could feel his anger radiating towards her. "Momma, are you in pain?" Shippo asked in concern. He pulled out the bottle of pain killers from Kagome's yellow backpack and then handed it to Kagome. Kagome smiled and hugged Shippo close in thanks.

Kagome took a couple of the pills and Sango came over to wrap her ankle in a cool damp cloth. Kagome bit back a yelp of pain and then slowly relaxed. This was her own fault after all; she should have turned on a light when she'd gone out in the night for the bathroom.

Shippo curled up in her lap and Kagome smiled lovingly. She brushed her fingers through his hair and sighed softly. With a little rest Kagome knew her ankle would be fine. The real problem was getting the rest when Inu-Yasha was so angry.

For the rest of the day Kagome tried to help around camp, but Sango was adamant about not letting Kagome put weight on her injured ankle. Shippo had been given the task of staying in Kagome's lap to make sure she didn't get up. Sango and Miroku went around camp to get things set up and secure for the night.

It was around dusk when Inu-Yasha finally started moving around in his tree. She looked up just as Inu-Yasha jumped down and then stormed out of the camp. Shippo had fallen asleep in her arms, Sango had gone to find a place to wash, and Miroku had followed after her mumbling about protecting her from dangers in the forest.

Worried about the hanyo, Kagome weakly struggled to stand up. She was panting by the time she was standing and it was an effort to convince her foot and ankle to cooperate. Slowly, carefully, Kagome followed after Inu-Yasha.

Inu-Yasha had stormed away from the camp site, his anger flowing out from him as he felt the last of the sunlight drain away from the sky. With the sunlight went his fangs and claws. His hair darkened and the golden hue of his eyes dimmed to brown. He cursed and slammed his fist into the tree next to him. In his weakened human form he didn't even make the tree shake. The snapping of a twig caught his attention and he spun around, cursing as he saw Kagome stumbling towards him.

"Inu-Yasha…" Kagome began to say. Shippo was still in her arms and she was leaning against a tree to relieve some of the weight off of her injured ankle. "I'm sorry Inu-Yasha. It's my fault we're not safe in an inn tonight –'' She began to say.

"Shut up wench. You are so clumsy I'm not surprised you hurt yourself." Inu-Yasha said, the words hissing out past his lips. The sad look in her eyes calmed his anger for a moment, just enough for him to sigh. "Just go back to camp. We don't need you to get worse and slow us down more." He told her, trying to calm down. Inu-Yasha looked away from Kagome, the sadness in her eyes was too much for him. He'd made her sad by ignoring her and being angry with her for no reason.

Maybe if Inu-Yasha hadn't looked away he might have caught the anger in Kagome's eyes, but he had looked away. Kagome knew she was accident prone, but that didn't mean he had to throw it in her face all the time. She didn't mean to slow the group down! Heck, Kagome had gone almost the entire day without complaining once about her damned ankle. When was she going to prove to him that she was strong and that she was an asset to the group?

One part of her mind wondered about why she was getting angry so easily. This sort of thing happened all the time, and it never bothered her before. "Maybe I wouldn't slow us down if you showed a little more concern." Kagome couldn't stop herself from arguing. Her anger was growing at an alarming rate.

"It's not my job to show concern. It's my job to protect everyone. You make things so difficult with your clumsiness!" Inu-Yasha paused to let out a hiss of breath. "Or maybe you're just a stupid bitch that doesn't remember how to walk!" Inu-Yasha snarled back. His own anger was getting worse with each word. He cracked his knuckles and took a step towards her. "You slow us down with your stupidity."

"Take it back!" Kagome was struggling to keep her voice low, so as not to wake up Shippo. "Take it back or so help me I'll sit you all the way to hell!" She threatened darkly. While he was in his human form Kagome's s-word didn't affect Inu-Yasha.

"Oh please. You won't do worse because you're too _nice_!" Inu-Yasha countered, his voice almost greasy. "You wouldn't risk hurting me when I'm human." Kagome gasped and took a step away as if he had slapped her. He was right; she wouldn't intentionally hurt Inu-Yasha when he was in his weakened state.

Kagome felt tears in her eyes and she looked away from him. "You're such a jerk!" Kagome yelled as she turned and stormed off the best she could.

The moment she was gone Inu-Yasha felt his anger drain away, leaving him empty and lost. '_What just happened?_' he thought to himself as he looked at the spot Kagome had just vacated.

Kagome moved as fast as she could, limping badly as she tried to get as much distance between herself and Inu-Yasha. She made it back to camp just as Sango was returning, dragging a protesting Miroku along by the ear.

Sango took one look at the tear stained cheeks of her friend and knew something had happened. "Kagome, are you alright?" She asked worriedly as she let go of Miroku and went over to Kagome. Shippo turned over in Kagome's arms but he was still sound asleep. "What did Inu-Yasha do now?" Sango asked with a frown?

"Nothing. It's nothing." Kagome said as she sat down on a boulder and angled her ankle in a way to relax the pain.

"You two had another fight, didn't you?" Sango asked softly as she sat down next to Kagome. Kagome nodded slightly and she heard Miroku sigh in the back ground. "Just ignore what he says ok? We're all stressed from searching for the jewel shards and stress always makes him grumpy." Kagome knew Miroku was right, but it still stung to know that Inu-Yasha thought so little of her.

"I-I think I'll just go to bed." Kagome mumbled as she limped over to her sleeping bag and just curled up inside of it, not even bothering to change into her night clothes. After a few minutes, she felt Shippo snuggle closer to her inside of the sleeping bag.

Inu-Yasha arrived some time later. Without his demon abilities, he was unable to tell if Kagome was awake or asleep. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was steady, but that was all he could tell.

"What the hell happened?" Sango demanded quietly, also thinking Kagome was asleep.

"I don't want to talk about it." Inu-Yasha replied, his earlier anger starting to return. His voice was low, but there was a sharp bite to his words. He sat down on the opposite side of the camp from Kagome. Her back was to him so he didn't know that her eyes were open or that tears were slipping down her cheeks.

"You can't keep hurting her like this Inu-Yasha. She's not like you, she's fragile." Miroku told Inu-Yasha from his own spot near the camp fire.

Inu-Yasha cursed and stuck his hands in his sleeves. "Too fragile." He mumbled angrily. The silver haired hanyo looked into the fire, ignoring Miroku and Sango. He took in several deep breathes to keep from exploding. It was none of their damned business how he treated Kagome.

"You need to apologize." Sango told him. Her voice was hard and serious, her words more like a command then a suggestion.

"Fuck off." Inu-Yasha said, his anger making his voice raise. "She doesn't deserve an apology. She's weak and stupid. When she gets stronger, then I'll apologize."

"Maybe I am strong!" Kagome burst out as she sat up, her own anger overwhelming her. "Maybe you're the weak one." With that Kagome struggled to her feet and stormed out of the camp, Shippo in her arms. "Don't follow me!" She called back to the group, her need to be alone to cry clouding her better judgment.

"Lady Kagome please wait! It's not safe," Miroku said as he jumped up to follow after her. He was only stopped by a Sango's shake of her head. If Kagome wanted to be alone, then she had that right. They had Kirara, so if something was wrong they would know.

Kagome stalked farther and farther away from camp with Shippo in her arms. He was still asleep, much to her relief. She didn't want to put him down, not yet. He brought comfort to her in some way. She looked down at him after a while when she finally stopped walking.

Eventually Kagome found a rotting and moss covered log. She sat down with relief, her ankle pulsing in pain. She sniffled and began running her fingers through Shippo's hair, his steady and relaxed breathing calming her. Kagome reached up and wiped away the tears. "Stupid Inu-Yasha." She muttered as she continued combing her fingers through Shippo's red curls.

Kagome closed her eyes and tried to relax. Thoughts floated to and from her mind, blurry and unintelligible. She was able to latch onto one thought finally. The thought was about a dream she had been having recently.

The dream was strange in a way although it was a comforting dream. Kagome would be standing or sitting in the middle of a beautiful field with Shippo playing in the distance with some unknown child. From behind her, Kagome would feel a comforting and warm presence. The person behind her would wrap his arms around her stomach and Kagome would realize she was pregnant.

Just as he began to say something, Kagome would wake up. After she'd turned 20 the dreams had started coming more often. Small details began to take shape in the dreams. A gentle breeze, a jeweled comb, a wisp of black hair from her mate, and other little things that made the dream feel real. Kagome could never see who her mate was, but she could always feel just how much he loved her. The one thing Kagome knew was that she was happy in her dreams; she was always so happy.

Over time Kagome had elaborated her dreams during the day, turning her unknown mate into Inu-Yasha. Days like this though made her wonder if Inu-Yasha really was the man she was dreaming about.

She kept thinking about her dreams and what they could mean. Kagome wondered if Inu-Yasha even had a place in her dreams. So distracted was Kagome that she failed to notice the fact that she wasn't alone anymore. A tall creature with white fur stood behind the tree, watching Kagome as she held her adoptive son in her arms. The creature took a silent step forward and a pair of crimson eyes looked out from behind a baboon mask.

Even before she had stormed out of camp Naraku had been watching Kagome. He had been planning on grabbing her as soon as she was out of range of her companions, but when she sat down he had hesitated. He stood there just drinking in her presence as she sat on the stump with her eyes closed. For years he'd watched from afar, taunting the group, injuring them, but never killing. He had plans for the little priestess, and her death was not part of it.

All that was left of the first part of his plan was to finish splitting up the group that Kagome travelled with. He'd been planting emotions inside of them for the last couple days, and the anger was finally reaching its peak. One last push, and then the guilt and blame would set in. Naraku grinned, his teeth glittering under his mask. Oh yes, things were going just the way he had planned. Soon, Kagome would be his.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A/N

So this is the update to the prologue. It's not too much different; just some minor changes that I think make the chapter flow a bit better.

I plan on updating all the chapters of Naraku's Prisoner. Nothing serious! Just minor details to add more depth and flow.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nope….still don't own Inu-Yasha….

Naraku's Prisoner

Chapter two: Pure Hatred and False Words

By Ethril Dragon

Kagome lost track of just how much time she sat sitting on that log, just running her fingers through Shippo's hair and relaxing. She was a little shocked as light began to fill the sky above her. Kagome blinked several times and watched, mesmerized, as the sky filled with oranges and reds. With a shake of her head and a yawn Kagome stood up, favoring her weakened ankle as much as she could. The young woman winced and limped a few steps to try and get the stiffness out of the rest of her body.

The first few steps were the hardest for her. Kagome's ankle had subsided to a dull ache during the night, but as soon as she had stood up the blood went rushing right back to the injured area. With each step she could feel a pulse of pain coming form her ankle.

Kagome was stifling another yawn when an enraged Inu-Yasha came running towards her. With the arrival of morning, he was no longer human. "Kagome, you're so stupid!" Inu-Yasha nearly screamed as he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Do you want to get killed or something?" He pulled a little too hard on her arm and Kagome tripped over her swollen ankle, landing on her behind on the ground. Inu-Yasha stumbled, but let go and let her fall. His body shook as he attempted to control even a tiny bit of the rage he was feeling.

"So did you go see Kikyo while I was gone?" Kagome asked lightly. The soft growl from Inu-Yasha was all she needed to hear. She struggled to her feet and then took several steps away from him. Kagome huffed and cuddled the still sleeping Shippo in her arms. Thank goodness he was such a sound sleeper. "Don't call me stupid when you can't even decide who to be with!" Kagome hissed angrily.

Inu-Yasha's growling grew louder. "I can be with whoever I want wench." He cracked his knuckles threateningly. "Better a real woman then a stick of a shrew like you." He spit out with a snarl.

Kagome paused and looked over her shoulder. Her expression was calm and serious. Her eyes narrowed and her lips parted slightly which sent a shiver down Inu-Yasha's spine. "Sit boy." Kagome turned away as she heard the slam and she began walking away back towards camp.

"At least Kikyo doesn't use a stupid spell to get what she wants!" Inu-Yasha screamed after her as she walked away. He struggled against the spell, his desire to hit her stronger then it had been in years. "You're just a weak little shrew!"

Kagome's feet carried her farther and farther from the ranting and raving Inu-Yasha. Tears streamed down her cheeks blurring her vision as she limped onward. A small hand on her cheek surprised Kagome and she looked down to find Shippo wide awake in her arms.

"How much did you hear?" Kagome whispered as she hugged Shippo gently. His arms went around her neck in an attempt to comfort her before he pulled back a little to pat her cheek again.

"Everything." Shippo looked up at Kagome sadly for a moment before wiping away one of her tears. "Momma, why do you put up with him?" Shippo asked with a pout. "He's a big stupid baka. And he was with Kikyo, I could smell it on him." Shippo squirmed in Kagome's arms and then crawled up onto her shoulder.

"Because he's right Shippo. I am weak. I wouldn't last a single day on my own." Kagome answered with a hiccup. Everything Inu-Yasha had said yesterday and today was true; she was weak and stupid. Kagome had put both herself and Shippo at risk by leaving camp last night. If it weren't for the beads she probably wouldn't even be able to get Inu-Yasha to do anything. Kagome felt the tears well up in her eyes again. Shippo hugged his mother comfortingly and sympathetically.

"KAGOME!" Inu-Yasha screamed just as Kagome returned to the campsite. Sango was cleaning her weapons and Miroku was just waking up. Both looked up in mind curiosity as Inu-Yasha came storming into the campsite. "That was a cheap shot!" He yelled at her, his fangs bared.

"Yeah well, at least I keep our fights between us, unlike you." Kagome replied, trying to stay calm. Her cheeks were still damp, but her tears had stopped. Kagome wouldn't let Inu-Yasha see her crying over him; even if it was because of something he'd said.

"What happened?" Sango asked as she looked coldly at Inu-Yasha.

"Oh nothing!"Kagome's voice was a little higher then normal as she tried to sound like nothing was wrong. "Inu-Yasha was just out with Kikyo again! On his weakest night!" Kagome tried to sound as if she really didn't care. The young woman tried not to care, she really did, but knowing Inu-Yasha preferred a dead woman over her was too much for Kagome. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much she dreamed, Inu-Yasha would never see her as anything other than a jewel detector and a weaker version of Kikyo.

"How could you love her Inu-Yasha? After all that she has done to us?" Kagome's voice faded softly as she said the next part. "How could you still love someone who's dead when..." Her voice faltered for a moment. "When someone living is right next to you and willing to love you?" Kagome's voice was soft, hesitant. She was trying to calm him and bring him to his senses. Everyone else had figured out her feelings except him…why did he have to be so dense?

Inu-Yasha's anger didn't cool off, far from it, it became a calm rage."Do you mean yourself?" His eyes burned as he stared at Kagome, his anger still thick in the air. "How could anyone ever love a stubborn, ugly, reincarnation like you?" his words were cold.

The very air around the group seemed to freeze with tension. Shippo slid from Kagome's shoulder and back into her arms in order to hide his face. He shivered and clung to Kagome; the anger between the two was more then he could handle. Even Miroku and Sango were becoming hostile. Shippo clung to his mother as hard as he could unable to look at anyone through his own fear.

'He…he didn't just say that.' Kagome stared blankly at the growling half-demon. She thought she had loved him and that one day he would be able to realize that. Kagome had hoped that maybe Inu-Yasha would realize that Kikyo was nothing more then a corpse and that he would finally be able to move on one day. With his words though Inu-Yasha was able to rip out Kagome's heart and tear it apart right before her very eyes.

A fierce hatred began to bubble up within Kagome replacing the love she had once had for the hanyo. How could he say that? Kagome had just offered him her love in front of everyone and he had just rejected it. Her voice was eerily calm as she spoke next. "Inu-Yasha….SIT" Kagome repeated the word over and over, her voice slowly growing in pitch until Inu-Yasha was several feet belong them in a crater.

With Shippo still hiding his face in her chest Kagome went over to her things and began stuffing everything back into her yellow backpack. Every time she heard even a tiny sound from the crater she would yell the word sit over her shoulder. She had to put Shippo down for a moment in order to close her bag.

"Lady Kagome what's wrong?" Miroku asked as Kagome slung the bag onto her back. She bent down and picked Shippo back up.

"I'm going home to cool off. Inu-Yasha can show his ugly face after he gets a personality change." Kagome said as she quickly wiped away a stray tear.

Kagome huffed and threw one last sit over her shoulder before she turned and began walking back to the path. Sango looked at Miroku and Miroku looked at Sango. What could they do? They had to protect Kagome. Inu-Yasha had been right about the fact that Kagome couldn't protect herself, but they couldn't leave the now very injured Inu-Yasha either. He had said some terrible, unforgivable things, but he was still part of their group.

Sango frowned suddenly. "I'm not angry." She looked down at the still fuming and immobilized Inu-Yasha. "Why am I not angry?" Sango had just as much of a reason to be angry so why wasn't she?

Miroku noticed it as well. "I…I do not know." It was then, when it was too late, that they realized someone had manipulated their two friends. They heard a scream just as Inu-Yasha was freed from the rapidly yelled sits.

Maybe it was the rapid sits that had cleared his head, but as the spell wore off Inu-Yasha couldn't believe what had just happened. He hadn't meant what he had said! Inu-Yasha really did care about Kagome. He groaned in regret as he slowly sat up. Inu-Yasha felt drained suddenly. The anger and rage he had felt had burned away his energy.

When he heard the scream Inu-Yasha was out of the crater and running in the direction Kagome had gone. The half demon paled as he skidded to a halt.

"Well, well, well, look what I have found." A sinister voice purred out. "A lost young woman with her little son; both without protection." The voice belonged to Naraku; the demon they had been racing against to find the jewel shards. Naraku felt a pang of guilt go through Inu-Yasha. Using the emotion manipulation he'd been using all week, Naraku pulled at that guilt.

"What a priceless creature I have captured." Mist filled the area behind Naraku and began swallowing the demon. His body began to fade back into the mist with Kagome and Shippo in his arms. "Perhaps I will be a better protector?" His voice faded away just as he vanished completely into the mist.

Inu-Yasha raced into the mist intent on killing Naraku. But he was to slow and now his guilt threatened to overwhelm him. Kagome had left and walked right into Naraku's hands because he had said such horrible things to her. She had confessed her love and he had broken her heart. Inu-Yasha felt his guilt well up further as he let out an anguished cry.

With the knowledge that something had manipulated their friends into such anger Sango and Miroku arrived. Guilt welled up inside of them as well and it took a great deal of will power to overcome the spell that was being used on them.

"Kirara and I will search from the sky Inu-Yasha. Miroku will start searching and probing to try and find the demonic barriers." Sango declared as Kirara changed swiftly into her large fire demon cat form. "We'll find her."

Inu-Yasha nodded numbly. The guilt that Naraku had filled him with was unbearable. It ate at him and forced him to replay everything that had happened last night and this morning. How could he have done and said all those things when Kagome had done so much for him? "Kagome…" His voice was hollow and filled with suffering.

* * *

><p>Kagome moaned softly as the pulsing pain in her ankle woke her. Her ankle was swollen again and the skin needed to be cooled down. She felt like the skin was burning itself off as the swelling grew and stretched the skin. She whimpered in pain and started to sit up to get a better look at her injury. Kagome stopped as she felt her body shift against a soft futon that was cushioning her. This was definitely not the campsite and it was not her bedroom.<p>

Kagome sat up abruptly as she realized she was in a well-decorated and beautiful sleeping chamber. She shivered and looked around for her son Shippo. The young woman grew frantic until her eyes finally located him across the room on his own futon. His chest rose and fell slowly telling her that he was fast asleep again.

Kagome slowly tried to stand, but her ankle wouldn't let her and she sank to the floor with a stifled sob and a whimper. With how much pain there was Kagome was worried that her ankle was worse then it had been. Kagome closed her eyes to try and remember what had happened before she went unconscious.

~ Flash Back ~

Kagome burst from the trees into the path a shivering Shippo in her arms. "Are you alright mommy?" he asked softly. He was afraid of making her angry with him like she had been towards Inu-Yasha.

By this time Kagome had calmed and when she looked down at her son her smile was genuine and her voice was calm. "I'm fine now Shippo. I just need to take a break from Inu-Yasha for awhile. Wouldn't you like to play with the kids from the village?" Shippo nodded enthusiastically. He liked playing with other kids, it gave him a chance to actually enjoy being his age.

Kagome took a few steps and then tripped slightly as her ankle became weak under the weight of her belongings. Kagome closed her eyes expecting to feel the dirt as she landed on the ground. Before she could hit the ground a pair of strong arms caught her. A musky and warm scent filled her nose as she was held by the stranger. She heard Shippo eep in fear as he squirmed to cling to Kagome hard. She looked up and gasped, her eyes going wide in fright. Her worst nightmare had just showed up and was holding her in his arms.

Naraku couldn't help the slow, sly grin that crept across his lips. Her fear was intoxicating, and knowing that she was defenseless in his arms was the cherry on top. It didn't seem to dawn on her that Kagome could simply engulf him in her miko powers to purify him. No, her instinct was to protect her son. 'She will make a strong mother one day,' Naraku thought to himself as the fearful eyes of Shippo looked up at him from Kagome's arms.

Perhaps if she hadn't hesitated Kagome could have taken the initiative and purified Naraku. The moment slipped by though like sand in an hourglass and was lost. Naraku would make sure she would never get the chance to purify him after this.

Naraku swiftly placed a string of beads around Kagome's neck. The spell was simple; it was a spell of sleep. The human body naturally needed sleep, so all it took was a small suggestion and Kagome was out of it. It helped that the young priestess had had very little sleep the night before.

Shippo on the other hand, was difficult. The sleeping spell only affected him slightly so Naraku had to grip him by the back of the neck to keep him still.

Although he had been waiting for Kagome to come to the path he hadn't expected her to trip and fall. He'd reached out just in time to catch the young priestess before she could hit the ground. His initial grip wasn't that great so when Shippo began flailing and crying out Naraku's arm slipped. Kagome twisted in his arms and her ankle moved at an odd angle. Naraku thought he heard a soft crack, but was unable to know for certain due to Shippo's cries.

With a frown Naraku focused the sleep spell on Shippo again to try and silence the little kit.

"L-let us go!" Shippo said sleepily. He was having difficulty keeping his eyes open and his arms flailed around uselessly. His arms grew weak and it took what little strength he had left to fight the spell. He was able to create a little ball of blue flame, but before it could reach Naraku it fizzled out.

Finally Shippo succumbed to the sleep spell that Naraku was still pressing against him. Naraku sighed in relief as he waited for Inu-Yasha to show up. It was important that Inu-Yasha see him steal Kagome away.

Naraku held mother and son in his arms and something stirred in him.Naraku could hear Onigumo in the back of his mind as the human part of him stirred. _This...is what I want._ The voice told him before dying back down.

Inu-Yasha came crashing through the trees with the last two members of the group only seconds behind him.

'Let the fun begin.' Naraku grinned with pure malice as he looked at the hanyo.

~End flash Back~

Naraku watched as the miko sat bolt upright when she awoke. The fear in her eyes only seemed to add to her beauty; at least Naraku thought so. He waited until she had calmed and had stopped trying to stand before he spoke. "Welcome back to the realm of the living…if you can call it that." He said with a cold creepy voice.

Kagome stiffened and looked around her frantically. Her eyes finally focused on a shadowy figure as it emerged from a darkened doorway.

"Naraku!" she hissed his name out and shivered again. Kagome put the pieces together and she felt sick as she realized just where she was. She was in Naraku's castle and far away from any possible rescue from her friends.

* * *

><p>AN

Chapter 2 update complete! So the basic outline of the chapter hasn't changed. Like the previous chapter all I did was make the flow better.

I tried to go and start updating Naraku's Child but...ah...I started ripping my hair out while reading the prologue. I've decided I'm going to completely update Naraku's Prisoner before moving on to the sequel.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I still don't own them…:: sits on a box that is labeled "Inu-Yasha characters" :: Even though I have captured them and stuffed them in this box I still don't own them.

Warning: There is rape in this chapter. If you want to skip over the rape look for the "~ Skip ahead ~" mark.

Naraku's Prisoner

Chapter 3: A Terrible Deal

By Ethril Dragon

Kagome felt her body shake as she watched Naraku move slowly towards her. With every step he took, she would scoot back away from him on the futon. Her ankle kept her from moving faster, or escaping from Naraku, so she had to rely on her other leg to push herself away from the approaching nightmare. Finally her back came in contact with the wall.

Naraku's movements were slow and measured. He gently sat down on the futon with an arms length between himself and Kagome. Naraku stayed like that for several long minutes, just watching Kagome. He could see her shoulders shake from beneath her white shirt.

"What do you want with me?" Kagome demanded as she tried to adjust her ankle. She winced and hissed as it started to bend. She glanced down at her ankle real fast and was disturbed to see that the skin around her ankle had bruised badly. For all she knew it was broken now. How was she going to get to her son and then escape?

Naraku reached out and gently placed his hand on her ankle. He heard her hiss in pain and felt her powers begin to strain against the submission beads he had placed on her while she had slept. Kagome tried to pull her leg away, but the movement was too much for her abused ankle. Naraku placed his other hand on Kagome's leg to keep her still. He looked over her ankle and then looked into her eyes calmly. "This is no good." Naraku commented as he gently moved his fingers along Kagome's ankle.

Naraku bit into his wrist and then grabbed Kagome's jaw with his other hand. He moved faster then Kagome's eyes could follow, so the taste of blood in her mouth was a shock to her. Kagome coughed and choked on Naraku's blood, lifting her hands to claw at his arm. Naraku was silent as he pinched Kagome's jaw harder, pulling a whimper out of her. Eventually Kagome swallowed enough blood for Naraku to be satisfied. He pulled his already healing wrist away and held Kagome still. Naraku watched Kagome's ankle for a few minutes, watching as the purple bruises faded and the swelling went down. Once he was sure her ankle had healed enough, Naraku released Kagome's jaw and leaned away from her.

Kagome reached up and wiped the left over blood from her lips with the back of her hand. She felt like puking, the taste of his vile blood was still on her tongue. That had to have been the most disgusting experience in her life. She had to admit though, her ankle was feeling better. How, she couldn't figure out. "What do you want with me?" Kagome asked again as the venom from her heart and mind filled her words. She was getting tired of his silent games. Usually, when she encountered Naraku, he always had something to say. Kagome almost preferred that over his silence.

Naraku continued to watch Kagome in silence. He wanted Kagome for many things, but the big question was would she believe him if he were to tell the truth? He'd been pursuing the jewel shards for so long and each time he had encountered the priestess and her friends he had attempted to kill them. It wasn't until he had attempted to fully remove his human side that Naraku realized exactly what he wanted.

Over the years he'd attacked Kagome's group for one reason; to see Kagome. He spied on her just to hear her voice. In order to be closer to her Naraku had even entered her dreams. Originally he'd excused his behavior as a way to find a way to destroy Kagome, but after awhile he could no longer deny what he was feeling and thinking. Both his human and demon side had found things about Kagome that they desired and admired. Where his human side was emotional, his demon side was instinctual. Naraku's human side loved her personality, her warmth, and her kindness. His demon side wanted her strength and her maternal instincts for his own future children. She was a perfect mate and he hated Inu-Yasha for dominating her time and life all these years.

"Why do you think I want you?" Naraku asked coolly as his head tilted slightly to the left. He would not lie to her; he had been fairly honest during his twisted and dark life.

Kagome's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. What kind of question was he asking her? "What kind of game are you playing Naraku?" Kagome questioned angrily. Tears of rage were in her eyes. "Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?"

"Do you value your life so little then miko?" Naraku's voice purred and it sent shivers of fear down Kagome's spine. "What about your little kit? Do you wish for your death so much that you would forgot about him? And what about your friends?" Even though his words were calm, they had a chiding quality to them. He sounded like a father chastising a child. "No my dear little sweet I'm not going to kill you."

Kagome felt as if her heart had dropped into her stomach. She doubted he was lying to her, but oddly enough his truth did nothing to comfort her.

"Kagome, my dear," Naraku reached out and touched her cheek gently. "You're here because I want to destroy your little friends." It was true for the most part. Her love was what he wanted, but to destroy Inu-Yasha would be wonderful. "They cling to you, all of them. Without you, they will fall a part." His final words were slow and he seemed to be savoring them. He licked his lips and his eyes partially closed.

"W-what about Shippo?" Kagome's voice was soft, frightened. "He's just a kit." She knew that that didn't mean much to Naraku.

Naraku glanced over at the sleeping demon and shrugged in the most negligent way. "He has his uses." He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. The sound was sharp and crisp in Kagome's ears and it made her wince. Kagura entered the room at the command of her creator and then grabbed the sleeping Shippo by the back of his neck. Shippo roused slightly, but not by much.

Kagome cried out and reached out to her adoptive son. Her miko powers tried to flare up in her fingers, but the string of beads around her neck flared and snuffed them out. Kagome's breath caught in her throat and her hand went to her neck. She lifted the beads and she felt a tingling where her fingers made contact.

"I see you've noticed my gift to you," Within Naraku's voice was just a hint of humor. "You do understand that I had to protect myself? I can't have you purifying me before we've had our fun now can we?" He fingered the necklace as well. "And so that brings us to my offer."

Kagome hesitated and her eyes narrowed. She had a very bad feeling, but what other options did she have at this time? "What…kind of deal?" she asked slowly. The way Naraku was looking at her was making goose bumps spread across her arms.

Naraku lifted a finger and wagged it at her. "Ah-ah, one thing at a time," Oh he was enjoying this. Naraku knew he probably loved her, but his darker side, the predator within him, wanted to enjoy playing with his prey.

Naraku stood up, his hands behind his back. He gazed down at Kagome and then motioned for her. "While you are here as a…guest…you are to do everything that I say." Naraku grinned slowly. Her look of dread both saddened and excited him. "Now, stand up and let me take a close look at you."

Kagome hesitated a moment too long and she heard a staggered squeak from behind Naraku. Kagura had begun digging her claws into his neck, waking him up. Kagome clambered to her feet and her shoulders shook in suppressed rage.

"You've figured out what happens when you disobey, very good. You'll need to be a fast learner here." Naraku slowly began circling Kagome. He noted how she clenched her fists and how her toes curled. Her jaw strained from her grinding teeth and her eyes were closed in anger. Naraku curled a finger through a strand of her hair and he heard her hiss in repulsion.

"I'm not a guest." Kagome said bluntly. "What am I really going to be, a servant?" Kagome demanded.

"No Kagome, nothing like that. You are a guest in my home, granted an unwilling guest." Naraku chuckled darkly. "As long as you obey me, you'll spend the majority of your time in relaxation." He spread his hands out to his sides and bowed slightly. "But," He crossed his arms over his chest. "If you disobey me, you will be punished." Naraku grabbed Kagome's chin to force her to look at him. "Understand?"

"Yes Naraku, you bastard. I understand." Kagome would have spit in his cocky face, but the whimpering from Shippo stopped her.

"You better watch your language Kagome. It's not just your life at stake here. I know you can be ladylike, and I will have no less." Naraku went back to slowly circling Kagome.

"Do we have a deal then?" Naraku asked smoothly. He held out his hand to her, in the common gesture of a sealed deal.

Kagome ground her teeth hard, her nails digging into the palms of her hands. What other choice did she have? With her miko powers restricted, her son in danger, and who knows what else, her options were null. "Yes." She put her hand in his and for a brief moment, she felt a jolt of recognition. The moment passed as fast as it had shocked her.

"Very good. Now then," Naraku turned to Kagura. "Take the kit to get some food; I will speak with Kagome privately for a moment." Kagura nodded and turned to leave, taking the loudly protesting Shippo with her.

~*Skip Ahead*~

With Shippo out of the room, Kagome made a mad dash for the door. She wasn't going to let anyone take her son away from her for any amount of time while she was here! Before she was even able to take three steps, there was a hand around her wrist. Kagome was grabbed and then thrown onto the futon.

"That's not very polite Kagome." Naraku said coldly as he stood over her. His crimson eyes were narrowed and arms were at his sides. "I was trying to be polite about this."

"I'm not going to let you do anything to Shippo! I demand he be brought back to me!" Kagome yelled, building up as much courage as she could.

The pupils of Naraku's eyes shrank and his lips pursed. It would see Kagome didn't quite understand what the deal entailed. "You demand? You, demand!?" Naraku growled and then in less then a heart beat he was straddling Kagome's hips and pressing her wrists above her head. "You demand nothing. You may ask for something, but you may never demand."

Kagome paled and a thought occurred to her what sort of punishment he had in mind for her. She may be a virgin, but she wasn't ignorant. She tugged at her wrists in a futile effort to break free from his iron grip.

Naraku sighed and then began growling. He had thought he had made progress with Kagome by making her accept the deal, but there was still a great deal of fire left inside of her. He loved that fire, it was the fuel of her passion, but he needed her to submit to him in every aspect. Naraku lowered his head and pressed his fangs against Kagome's neck, growling to tell her to submit to him.

Kagome felt the points of his fangs against her skin and it only frightened her more. Even with her limited knowledge of demons, she knew that marking a female meant one of two things. A mark meant that the female was either property or a mate to another demon. Her mind jumped to hasty conclusions and she began struggling harder.

Naraku growled louder and then sat up. This wasn't working. He would have to punish her to make her understand that he controlled her life now. Using his clawed hand he ripped her shirt open. "Calm yourself or things will get worse." Naraku's voice was even and devoid of emotion. He didn't want to hurt her, hurting her would only build mistrust in her heart.

Kagome tried to calm down, but the fact that he was staring at her while her shirt was ripped open was not helping. "Get off of me!" She begged, sobs slowly filling her voice. Her struggling had lessened, but her instinct to get him off of her was too strong.

Naraku growled and grabbed something from inside his shirt. There was a clinking sound of metal and the color drained from Kagome's face.

A demon could have easy ripped these chains a part, but for a human they were indestructible. Naraku snapped the cuffs onto Kagome's wrists and then connected the chain to a ring on the wall. He stood and looked down at his handiwork.

"Are you going to behave now?" Naraku asked coldly. When was she going to learn that she had to submit? He understood that human customs were different, but his demands were simple: do whatever he says or she'd get punished. He had told her to calm down, and she hadn't.

And now there were consequences. With a quick slash of his hand Kagome's skirt was shredded into several pieces. All that was left were her under garments. Kagome was whimpering and sobbing by now, her body naturally curling up to try and protect herself. "Lay flat Kagome." She heard the command, but she refused. This was her body and she was going to protect it.

Naraku frowned and then grabbed her legs, forcing them a part. He ripped off her underwear. Each time she disobeyed him, he would come closer to forcing her. Naraku sat back and watched to see her response. "Lay flat." Again he gave her the command. This time she slowly uncurled and she became as flat as she could. There was a problem though; Naraku was still between her legs. She ended up with her knees slightly raised and clenched.

Naraku placed his hands on her knees. "Spread." His voice was soft, but cold. He was going to make her submit whether or not she wanted too.

Kagome shook her head and began sobbing again. "Please, don't do this." She whispered urgently.

Naraku growled loudly and tore Kagome's bra off. With his anger blinding him Naraku didn't even get a chance to admire Kagome's body. What did he have to do to make her realize she had to stop trying to control things? "Submit to me." Naraku's voice was hard, and the growl mixed with his voice scared Kagome. Not understanding what submission meant for a demon Kagome shook her head.

She was a virgin, the very thought of being raped horrified her. She forced herself to relax though, as best as she could.

That effort was enough for Naraku. "Now, give me your jewel shards." He demanded calmly. This was her last test.

"No way in hell!" Kagome said automatically without realizing what it was she was really saying. Her eyes went wide as she realized just what it was that she had said.

Naraku stripped down. As he was removing his clothes, he gave her one last chance. "You've realized what punishment is. Give me the jewel shards."

Kagome couldn't give him her jewel shards; it was her job to protect them. If she just handed them over, then her entire life these last few years had meant nothing. "I…I can't."

Naraku closed his eyes for a moment to calm himself. He understood where she was coming from, but if he didn't punish her now then she wouldn't take him seriously in the future.

Once fully unclothed he knelt over her, his nose centimeters from hers. Her eyes were tightly closed and her breathing was shallow. He could feel her shivering where his body touched hers. Naraku sat back and then grabbed her knees.

In order to focus on what needed to happen Naraku emptied his mind of thoughts. Forcefully, he spread her legs and then thrust himself into her. He felt resistance for a moment and heard Kagome scream. She belonged to him now, and he would never allow anyone else to touch her.

Kagome sobbed and her hands strained against the chains and cuffs. Kagome's stomach was burning and there was a sharp pain where Naraku was pounding into her. She wasn't ignorant, she knew what the pain was. Her hymen had been torn. Kagome bit her lip so hard that her teeth gouged into the soft flesh. She begged and screamed, her legs coming up and pushing against Narkau's chest and stomach. Naraku snarled and grabbed her knees, pushing them up and against her stomach.

Kagome was so tight around him, her muscles rippled around him and if it weren't for his human side, Naraku might have been able to finish by now. Onigumo was fighting with all his will power. Naraku's hands left Kagome's knees and gripped into her hips. He could feel beads of sweat slide down his neck as his internal battle made things more difficult. Naraku slammed into Kagome over and over. Every time she begged or pleaded, he would thrust so hard into her that her hips would come off of the futon.

When the pain was too much for her, Kagome fainted. That was when Naraku stopped. He panted and dug his hands into the futon on either side of Kagome, the pressure and need to cum warring with his human heart to stop causing Kagome pain. He pulled out of her and panted hard. Her head had fallen onto her right shoulder, exposing the left side of her neck. Naraku's fangs lengthened slightly and his animal instinct to mark her made his eyes darken. Only his human side prevented him.

~* End Skip *~

After everything that he had done to her, Naraku wasn't sure if she would ever forgive him. Maybe his human side was right and he should have taken things slower. He couldn't regret it though; what was done was done. He looked down at the sleeping Kagome as he dressed. The cuts and bruises would heal thanks to his blood still in her system.

"Damn it." Naraku cursed and sat up. He reached over and cut the necklace holding the jewel shards from Kagome's neck. He looked at the little jar and as he held the tiny jar in his hand his aura corrupted the jewel shards. Their creamy white surface turned into a dark purple.

Naraku gently released Kagome's wrists from the cuffs, but he left the chain connected to the wall as a reminder for her of what punishment meant. He was careful about moving around quietly. He had proven his point and now Naraku was going to leave Kagome alone.

When Kagome woke up she was aching all over. She sat up slowly and rubbed her wrists. She shifted her legs and hissed in pain. Kagome slid a hand slowly between her legs and she whimpered. She pulled back her hand and her fingers were coated with her blood. She looked at the blood sadly. No matter what could have happened between her and Inu-Yasha, this confirmed the fact that he would never touch her ever.

Kagome stiffly stood up and walked over to forgotten bag in the corner. She pulled out a change of clothes and her painkillers. She contemplated the little pills for a few minutes before slowly tipping the bottle into her hand so only two pills would come out. She put the bottle back with a slow and deliberate motion. She couldn't let this weaken her, She had Shippo to worry about.

A/N:

In my effort to become a better writer I have decided to go through all the chapters of Naraku's Prisoner and update them. Once I have done this I'll go and update/rewrite the chapters for Naraku's Child.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Once again I must admit to the world that I do not own Inu-Yasha or Inu-Yasha characters/stories. I own my own mind and that's about all I can claim.

Naraku's Prisoner

Chapter 4: A Dinner for Three

By Ethril Dragon

Kagome felt extremely uncomfortable, sitting in the room without anyone else there. Her pain had numbed down a little thanks to her painkillers. She'd gone back and forth with the idea of maybe just taking the whole bottle and just getting away from the pain forever. Each and every time she thought about Shippo and what would happen if she wasn't around to protect him.

A knock on the door caused Kagome to jump. She looked up sharply as the door slid open. Standing there was Kagura, without Shippo. "Naraku has instructed me to take you to the baths." Kagura said smoothly, her eyes half closed like they always where. In her arms were a bathing robe and a simple kimono.

Kagura watched with sympathy as Kagome took the offered robe. From her perspective Kagome looked like a frightened doe. She was bent over slightly, her arms around her chest. Kagome's eyes were wide and watery. "Thanks." Kagura heard the soft word, as if it were more like a breath of air across a flower petal. If Kagura hadn't been a demon, she probably wouldn't have heard her.

Once she'd slipped the robe over her shoulders, Kagome stood up. She clutched the robe to her body as if it were her only protection in the world. If she hadn't been so frightened she would have noticed the expensive quality of the silk. It flowed against her skin like cream and it warmed her cooled skin. Kagome noticed that the robe fell to mid calf as she shifted from foot to foot.

Kagura nodded in satisfaction and lead the way out of the room. Once out of the room Kagome spotted Kanna waiting a few feet down the hall. The small girl disturbed Kagome, but not in a frightening sort of way. Even though Kanna looked like a child Kagome knew she wasn't truly one and Kagome felt sorry for her. The emotionless eyes spoke to Kagome in a way that words couldn't. She felt a desire to help Kanna, but she didn't know how. Perhaps that was what disturbed Kagome the most, not knowing how to she could help Kanna.

Kagura silently lead the way while Kanna walked beside Kagome. Kagome felt no warmth coming from the girl and she seemed to be more gliding then walking.

"Were is my son?" Kagome asked after a few minutes of building up her courage. Approving of Kagome's courage Kagura glanced back at her. Kagome looked at Kagura expectantly.

"He is safe. Kohaku is watching him." The three became silent again and Kagome began to grow paranoid again. She half expected to run into Naraku around every corner.

"We're here." Kanna said smoothly, her soft voice surprising Kagome. She looked down at the white haired girl and then at the door ahead of them. Kagura went in first, and then Kanna. Kagome felt warm air coming out of the door. There was a soft scent of incense mixed in with the steam. Slowly, she strode into the dimly lit room.

It was a large bathing room built around a natural hot springs. The rocks that normally surrounded hot springs had been covered expertly with hardwood planks. Candles were placed in various places around the hot springs. Within the room were 3 large pools of water. Wall lamps hung along the walls creating a soft and gentle light that helped to create a serene and comforting atmosphere. Kagome couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship of the baths.

"Naraku designed the baths himself," Kagura commented when Kagome finally came through the door. Kanna closed the door behind Kagome and Kagura pointed to a curtained off area if Kagome wanted some privacy.

Just his name sent shivers down Kagome's spine. Even with the steamy heat of the baths she felt cold. Her body shook and she unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. She went over to the curtained off area and then sat down on the wooden bench. Kagome glanced around, getting the feeling that she was being watched. She wasn't too far from the truth.

Naraku was able to see into every room of his palace, at any time. The baths were no different. He was leaning against the wall of his private chambers watching as Kagura lead the way to the baths. He watched as Kagome hesitated at the doorway and then admired the work he had done. He watched without guilt as Kagome let the robe slide from her shoulders and pooled on the wood floors. He felt his fingers twitch as he looked at the smooth curves of Kagome's body. The steam of the baths clouded his vision slightly making the more intimate parts of Kagome's body blurry and indistinct.

Naraku wasn't usually a perverse person, but he was possessive. He felt that possessiveness while as he observed Kagome. She would be his sooner or later, and then he wouldn't share her with any other male. Naraku's eyes closed and he felt his body heat up as he imagined what it would be like when Kagome would willingly accept him. He opened his eyes to watch as Kagome began to scrub her body. Naraku pictured that it was really his hands sliding across her body, his hands taking the cloth and wiping it across her skin. His eyes closed once more as he delved into his fantasies. The sound of splashing water brought him out of his picturesque world.

After scrubbing her body behind the screen, Kagome enjoyed the hot water as it scalded her bare skin. She felt sore, but it helped her feel clean after what had happened to her. She hissed softly as the hot water hit her scrubbed skin. Once she was submerged up to her neck, Kagome began rubbing her body down gently. She didn't spend too much time enjoying the hot water. Once she felt well scrubbed and clean, she climbed out of the hot spring. Kanna handed her a towel and Kagome dried herself off quickly. She winced as she dried her abused nether lips. Kagome took the offered kimono from Kagura and dressed.

Kagome admired the kimono that Kagura helped her put on. The silk was the softest that Kagome had ever felt and it flowed across her skin in gentle waves. The color was an elegant dark purple with swirls of lighter purple flowing down and across from the waist to the bottom hem. She realized with revulsion that the robe reminded her of Naraku's clothes. The thought of wearing something similar to Naraku made Kagome feel uncomfortable. She wanted nothing to do with that monster. Kagura wrapped a pink obi around her waist and Kagome couldn't help but think that it was probably Kagura that had picked out the kimono. She just couldn't see Naraku spending the time to pick out something so nice.

Naraku watched as his miko admired the kimono he had chosen for her. He had in fact taken a good deal of time deciding what to send for her to wear. He could have sent the blue one, to match her eyes. Naraku could have sent the green one since she looked good in the color. In the end he had chosen the purple because of the simple design of the fabric and the elegant feel of the cloth.

Naraku sighed softly to himself as he waved a hand over the mirror to wipe it clean. "Kohaku, bring Shippo to the dinning room," he said softly to the air around him. He knew the demon slayer would hear him and obey, the jewel shard implanted in his back would ensure that. Everyone, with the exception of Kagura on occasion, obeyed him. Naraku chuckled softly as he thought about Kagura. Her rebellion at first had irritated Naraku to no end, but after awhile he'd grown fond of her sneers and sneakiness. Kagura reminded him of a teenager trying to find her place in the world.

In one graceful movement he stood and took long elegant strides to the door that lead to the hall. His palace was large, not as large as the Western Lands palace, but he prided himself on his home. Yes, it had originally belonged to the prince he had replaced, but Naraku had expanded on it. He had worked long and hard to make sure it was powerful and yet beautiful at the same time. He left his personal rooms and head for the dinning hall. It was time to show Kagome that there was more to him then just the monster she had come to know and expect.

Kagome blinked and looked around in confusion. She felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She cursed mentally as the feeling of being watched vanished. Naraku had been watching; she was sure of it now. How long had he been watching her though? Kagome felt shivers run down her spine as she thought about how long Naraku might have been watching her. He'd seen everything already, but the idea of him watching her while she bathed was too much.

Once again Kagome was following Kagura down the hall to some unknown destination. The young miko was sure that Kagura was returning her to the room she'd first woken up in. Where else would she go? She was a prisoner no matter what Naraku said.

Her silent question was soon answered when Kagura opened a final door and motioned for her to go in. Inside the nicely lit room was a large table filled with all sorts of food. Shippo was sitting rather tensely in one seat and Kagome could understand why; at one end of the table sat Naraku. His eyes were closed and his fingers were steepled together against his chin. The door closed behind her and Kagome spun around. Kagura and Kanna had not followed her inside.

"Come over Kagome, dinner is waiting." Naraku's voice was smooth and calm, and yet it sent cold shivers of rage coursing through Kagome's body. "Won't you sit down?" His voice was silky sweet and it turned Kagome's stomach over.

Kagome slowly made her way over to the table, and then sat down in the only empty seat. Shippo was across from her so she looked him over carefully. He looked to be fine physically, but his eyes were wide with fear and confusion.

The way Shippo was trying not to stare at the food told Kagome just how hungry her little kit was. When had they eaten last? How long had the two of them been asleep in that room before Naraku had woken her up?

"Please, eat!" Naraku said with false enthusiasm. He waved with one hand at the food. Shippo hesitated for just a second before he reached out and began piling food up onto his plate. Kagome didn't move as her eyes went from Shippo to Naraku. Her hands twitched as she held herself back, she didn't want Shippo touching the food but what could she do? Kagome had to admit that she was hungry, but if she told Shippo not to eat then what would Naraku do to her? Her eyes met Naraku's for just a split second. Kagome wasn't sure what it was that she saw in those eyes, but it was enough to make her reach across the table and put some food onto her plate.

The three of them ate in silence for a time, and during that time Kagome started to forget that she was eating with Naraku.

The food was delicious! The meet was juicy, the flavor strong and delightful, and the drinks were smooth. Both Kagome and Shippo enjoyed the food that had presented to them. Naraku on the other hand, ate lightly. The food had lost flavor for him years ago, and now he only ate because his body needed the nourishment. He felt enjoyment though as he watched Kagome enjoy the food. For a moment Naraku could actually taste the food that he was eating.

Naraku could feel his human side stir as he watched both Kagome and Shippo. He felt content for the first time in a long time. 'This is right.' Naraku took a deep breath and exhaled softly.

Everyone was quiet throughout the meal. Kagome finally spoke up though as Shippo started nodding off over dessert. "Thank you for the meal Naraku," Naraku could tell she was biting the inside of her cheek in order to stay calm. "May we be excused?" Naraku watched Kagome carefully, her brow was twitching slightly and her hands were slowly balling into fists. He laced his fingers together and pretended to think about it for a few long seconds.

Right before Kagome could ask again Naraku answered. "I'll have Kagura take you back to your room." The doors that Kagome had originally come through opened and Kagura stood in the doorway. Naraku nodded towards her and then leaned back in his seat.

Kagome stood up and went around the table to pick Shippo up. Once he was safely in her arms Shippo closed his eyes and surrendered to his exhaustion.

Silently Kagome left the dinning room and then followed Kagura through the halls and back to their room. Maybe she was more tired then she originally thought, but Kagome could have sworn the room looked different.

Reading Kagome's expression, Kagura smiled. "The room you were in is a guest room. Since you'll be living here, Naraku thought you would be more comfortable in permanent quarters." The room was spacious and well furnished. There was a table in the center of the room with a lovely flower center piece. A mirror was hanging on the wall with a lovely nightstand under it. There were two futons in the room, one for Kagome and a smaller one for Shippo.

"Your bag is in the closet there, along with several kimonos for you to wear," Kagura said as Kagome carried Shippo into the room. "Naraku has requested you wear the kimonos instead of your normal clothing."

Kagome glanced at the closet and then at Kagura. She had the feeling that it wasn't a request and more like an order. She'd do as Naraku said, for now.

"If you need anything, just ask one of the servants," Kagura said as she reached for the door. "If the furnishings are not to your liking just say so and Naraku will have them changed." And with that Kagura closed the door and left.

Kagome gently set Shippo down on the larger of the two futons. She wasn't going to be separated from him, even by a few feet. Once he was settled on the futon Kagome went to the closet. She gasped in awe; the kimonos were absolutely beautiful. Her fingers skimmed over fabric, amazed at how soft they were. Kagome looked down at her dingy yellow bag and sighed.

Why was Naraku doing all this? Was she supposed to be a toy to him, or a pet? Naraku's treatment of Kagome confused her. First he had raped her and now he was treating her like some special guest. She slowly closed the closet and then went over to the mirror. Kagome knew mirrors were rare and expensive in the Feudal time, so to see one here shocked Kagome.

After a thorough exploration of her room, Kagome went to her bag to pull out her pajamas. She paled slightly as she searched through the bag. Her pajamas were gone, along with her other clothes. Even her underwear and bras were gone. Everything else was there though.

Kagome whimpered and emptied out her bag, going through everything two or three times before putting it all back into her bag. She had no choice now but to sleep in her under kimono. Slowly Kagome stood up and looked through the kimono's again, hoping that maybe someone had hung up her clothes. Kagome didn't find her clothes, but she did find a sleeping yukata. With a relieved sigh she took off her kimono and slipped into the sleeping yukata. She had a little trouble with the yukata at first since she wasn't used to sleeping in one, but once she was satisfied she returned to the futon to slip under the blankets with Shippo.

Kagome didn't know how long she laid there, one arm around Shippo. She fell asleep eventually, but she woke up often. Each time she woke up, she could have sworn she felt a hand on her cheek or fingers slipping through her hair. Every time she woke up she would be shivering and her eyes would dart around the room. Her paranoia kept her awake for awhile until her body finally gave in to the need for sleep.

Naraku sighed as he wandered the halls of his palace. He regretted raping Kagome, but it had been necessary at the time. Kagome needed to realize that she had to obey him, and that there would be consequences to disobeying him. Now all he could do was make Kagome as comfortable as possible and show her that there was more to him then just the monster.

"Kagura." His voice was soft and deep as he summoned one of his creations. Kagura entered his dimly lit room and bowed.

"I need you to give Kagome a tour tomorrow, show her the gardens as well." Kagura nodded and left. Naraku sat there for some time before getting up and going to Kagome's room. He watched as she slept restlessly. Every time she woke up, Naraku shrank back into the shadows. He remained in the room watching Kagome throughout the night, but as the morning dawned he slipped out so Kagome could wake up in peace.

* * *

><p>AN:

Chapter 4 has been edited. In my desire to become a better writer I have decided to go through and update the chapters of Naraku's Prisoner. After I have finished with this I shall go on to Naraku's child and rewrite the older chapters.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not now or ever own Inu-Yasha or Inu-Yasha related shows/products/characters/movies/etc. I do own everything that goes on in my mind.

Naraku's Prisoner

Chapter 5: A Week of Wondering

By Ethril Dragon

'6 days,' Kagome thought as she watched Shippo and Kohaku race across the field that was just beyond Naraku's palace. Kagome looked around from where she was sitting and sighed as she spotted several of Naraku's demon guards watching them. No matter where they went a few of Naraku's guards were sure to follow. If it weren't the guards then it was Kanna and Kagura.

'It's been 6 days since Shippo and I were brought here.' Kagome smiled when Shippo's happy yells reached her ears. Kagome brought her knees up to her chin and her eyes closed slightly. 'Nothing bad has happened to us since that first night. We've been treated with respect and kindness. What is Naraku planning?' Kagome wondered as she continued to relax under the noon sun.

The day after Naraku had kidnapped them Kagura had given them a thorough tour. Well, almost thorough; the tour had been void of Naraku's private rooms. Kagome enjoyed the gardens the most and she was amazed at their beauty. Kagura had told her Naraku commissioned the best artists and designers to come and outfit the entire palace, including the gardens. The big surprise to Kagome was the fact that Naraku had not only commissioned Demons but also humans.

Kagome heard an intake of breath and she looked up. Shippo was inflating himself into his balloon form for Kohaku. She smiled warmly as Kohaku laughed. It was nice to see Sango's brother happy. The first time Kagome had seen Kohaku since arriving she'd realized something was off about him; she just couldn't put her finger on it. She frowned as she concentrated on him. It was…strange. The more Kagome watched him, the stronger the feeling got and she didn't know why.

Last time she had seen him, Kohaku had acted like a sleep walker without emotions. Now though he was alive and happy; laughing and playing with Shippo. This personality change really got Kagome to thinking about what could be so off about the young man.

"Lovely day isn't it?" Naraku said lightly as he put gentle pressure onto Kagome's shoulder to keep her from jumping and alerting her son. Naraku had been watching Kagome for the last few minutes from behind her. In actuality though, he'd been watching her the entire time she'd been at his palace. The few times that he was unable to watch her he had Kagura and Kanna give him reports on her activity. Naraku was very carefully about knowing what Kagome did and when.

Kagome was an enigma to Naraku. She hadn't tried to escape; she was pleasant to his servants, respectful to his guards, and friendly toward Kanna and Kagura. Last night Kagome had even tried to start a conversation during dinner. Naraku could tell she was uncomfortable, but the effort had intrigued him. Even though he had kidnapped her, raped her, and sealed away her miko powers she was trying to act like an ordinary guest in his home.

Kagome jumped in surprise as his voice accompanied his hand. "Naraku you scared me!" she exclaimed as she took a deep breath to stop her pounding heart. She blinked and looked at him closely. Usually Naraku had the jewel shards with him, but today he didn't. She gasped as realization dawned on her; Kohaku didn't have a jewel shard in him.

Naraku looked at the Miko as realization dawned on her face. He smiled slightly knowing she would be smart enough to figure it out. "Follow me," He said as he turned to head back to the palace.

Kagome hesitated and looked back at Shippo. "Your son will be fine, he is with Kohaku and my guards will not leave them," she heard Naraku say as she carefully stood up. She smoothed down the light pink kimono she was wearing and followed Naraku with only a single look back at her son. Kagome followed silently, her hands clasped in front of her and her gaze on the ground as they walked. Kagome, being the quick learner that she was, had figured out that as long as she acted respectful of Naraku he wouldn't actually bother her.

Naraku was a couple feet ahead of her and she was careful about keeping that distance. Kagome was still nervous about Naraku and she knew he was clever. 'I have the right to be nervous,' she thought to herself as she followed Naraku. 'He's tried to kill me on numerous occasions.' While she's been here though, Naraku has been nothing but kind. 'Maybe Naraku isn't as bad as I think?' a small part of her mind rebelliously told her.

Kagome was so involved in her inner monologue that Kagome didn't notice where Naraku had taken her. During their walk Naraku had led the young miko into his inner most sanctuary; his private garden. In this particular garden he could sit and relax for a few moments so he could distance himself from his troubles. So when he looked back at Kagome and saw that she wasn't paying attention, he was disheartened. Naraku sighed mentally and continued to the lead the way to the heart of his garden.

While Naraku had paid others to design his palace and gardens this garden in particular had been his own creation. From the tall rows of bushes to the smooth river stones, do the creeping and subtle vines and the gentle and fragile flowers, everything within this garden was all about him. The garden spiraled inwards with small alcoves here and curves were subtle enough that it wasn't at first obvious.

Naraku had placed several enchantments over his garden to make sure that the plants were in their prime all year long. It'd taken weeks to get his power strong enough to cast the magic, but in the end it had been worth it. All the hard work he had poured into his personal garden made it a very special place for him and he rarely let anyone enter.

At the very center of his garden, was a crystal clear pond with a beautiful multi tiered waterfall. The rocks in the water fall were actually crystals and sapphires so that when water fell onto them the water made a melodic tinkling sound. To one side of the pound was a stone bench. The bench had been made from a giant geode so whenever the sun would filter through the tree branches it would catch on the amethyst within the bench. Over the bench, was a weeping willow twisted together with a sakura tree. The result was a 6 foot tree with cascading cherry blossoms that protect the geode bench.

Naraku heard a feminine gasp from behind him and he couldn't help but smile. "What is on your mind Kagome?" Naraku asked as he stopped next to the tree and gently fingered one of the cherry blossoms. He'd spent a great deal of time watching over these two trees, carefully twisting them together and nurturing them. To him, these two trees really represented who he was.

Kagome had been momentarily distracted by the beauty of the garden. There was so much there that Kagome wasn't sure what to admire first, and yet it all connected together and complimented each other.

Kagome looked at Naraku, surprised that he was actually interested in what she was thinking. Kagome was used to Inu-Yasha ignoring her and never taking her seriously. Kagome fidgeted for a moment. "Kohaku doesn't have a jewel shard…" she finally said after a moments thought. She hadn't been sure at first, but now she was positive.

Naraku nodded at her comment. "He no longer needs it," Naraku said as he glanced at the girl. Her kimono was exquisite. It was a deep shade of pink at the end and it faded into white around the waist. The sleeves also started at a dark pink at the ends and faded into a white as it ended at her shoulders.

Kagome's eyes widened. "What do you mean he doesn't need it?" Kagome hurried forward and grabbed onto Naraku's sleeve without thinking. "Doesn't he need it to stay alive?"

Naraku eyed her hand for a moment before looking into her eyes. This was the first time she had touched him voluntarily. "At first yes, but after the shard helped heal his initial wounds, I was able to strike a deal with Sesshomaru to call back his soul. Once that was done, I was able to remove the shard from his back." Naraku said as he felt her release his sleeve.

Kagome looked at Naraku in surprise. The shard in Kohaku's back had been how naraku had controlled Kohaku. Yes it had kept the boy alive, but without the shard Naraku had nothing to control Kohaku with. "I…I guess that makes sense." Kagome said as she unconsciously ran a hand through her loose hair. She looked around again, really looking at everything this time. "This place…" she murmured softly.

"It is of my own making. Every stone, every flower, every bit of the design I made," Naraku told her as he looked around the center of his garden with his arms crossed over his chest.

Kagome looked around her in awe as she spotted the beautiful flowers, cleverly hidden within and around the stones and underbrush. The single bench glittered in the filtered light of the tree in an almost hypnotic way. And then there was the waterfall. Kagome took a few steps towards the waterfall and she felt herself relaxing as she listened to the gentle music being made by the falling water. She almost missed seeing the colorful koi swimming within the depths of the pond. 'Naraku made this?' she wondered to herself as she watched a pair of butterflies land on the blossoms of the entwined willow and sakura. Just looking around made Kagome realize that she knew actually nothing about Naraku. This side of him was so contradictory to what she knew.

Naraku looked at Kagome in amusement as she looked around in awe, her mouth slightly open. "It took many years to complete, but the final product was worth waiting for," Naraku said as he cupped his hands behind his back. 'Many things are worth waiting for,' he thought as he eyed Kagome once more. She truly was beautiful in the afternoon light.

Kagome knelt down on the sand to take a better look at the koi. The fish were pretty much swimming in slow, leisurely circles. Kagome reached down to touch the water.

"I wouldn't do that. The koi will bite," Naraku said with a hint of sadistic humor.

Kagome pulled back her hand slowly. She had noticed how the fish had started swimming faster the closer her hand had gotten to the water. She stood carefully, brushing her kimono off as she did so.

"Why…" she asked softly, her eyes still on the koi swimming in slow circles.

"Why what Miko?" Naraku asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you doing this Naraku? Giving toys to Shippo, being kind to me? What is it you want?" She asked, her temper rising to the surface. She felt as if he was keeping a secret from her, as if he was playing with her. "You have my pieces of the Shikon Jewel. What more do you want?" He'd taken everything from her, including her virginity.

Naraku looked at Kagome, his silence filling the air around them. He couldn't tell her the truth yet, it would just scare her away. Naraku had to keep waiting until she was willing to believe him. "There is more to me then meets the eye Kagome." he said as he turned away to look at the splashing waterfall. The large koi fish swam in circles as he watched. Naraku concentrated on keeping his face emotionless.

Kagome felt her temper reach its peak and she had to force herself from exploding. She took several deep breaths before continuing. "I've already guessed that, stop playing with me Naraku." Kagome's voice was hard and crisp. She was tired of these damned games; she was tired of trying to stay calm all the time. Kagome knew there was something that Naraku wasn't telling her.

Naraku had to physically stop himself from sighing. He knew it, Kagome just wasn't ready to hear the truth from him. "Come Miko, it is time for our afternoon meal," Naraku told her. His voice was hard and cold as he turned back towards the path that would lead them out of the garden.

Kagome bit her tongue to keep herself from asking questions or from saying something she would later regret.

He sighed softly as he led the way out of the garden. He looked back at her and watched as her kimono slipped a little off of her shoulder. Instantly his blood began to boil as he imagined what it would feel like to bite her there, to bring her pleasure instead of pain. Her hand reached up to tug the kimono back over her slender shoulder and he looked ahead of them again.

It wasn't long until they were out of the garden and heading towards the palace. "Momma!" Shippo cried out happily as he spotted his mother walking silently behind Naraku. He jumped into her open arms and sniffed her subtly to make sure she was ok. There was nothing initially wrong, and he was so used to her usual angry smell, because of Inu-Yasha, that Shippo didn't at first notice what was wrong.

"Did you have fun Shippo?" Kagome asked as she watched Kohaku walk silently into another part of the palace. She smiled down at her son in her arms as she continued to follow after Naraku.

"Lots of fun! Kohaku showed me a punch technique and I showed him how to hide without youki!" Shippo said with a big grin. Hiding without youki was something he'd learned before meeting Kagome, and it had been useful on many occasions since.

"That's nice Shippo," Kagome said biting her lip, she really didn't want Shippo to learn how to fight. Kagome had always hoped that Shippo wouldn't need to learn how to fight; that she or Inu-Yasha would always be there to protect him. As much as Kagome wished and hoped that Shippo would be safe, she knew that one day he would need the skills to protect himself.

Naraku looked back and noticed the slightly strained look on the Miko's face. "Perhaps it would be best if I had a fighting master teach you how to fight?" Naraku said carefully. "It would be safer then two children, though one is trained, trying to teach each other."

Kagome looked up in surprise, her eyes meeting Naraku's. Was he really offering to have someone train Shippo?

"Really?" Shippo grinned happily. If he could fight, he could protect Kagome. Inu-Yasha had never taken his training seriously. "Momma, please say yes." Shippo begged as he tugged on Kagome's kimono.

"I can easily acquire a Kitsune warrior to train him," Naraku said offhandedly. There were several silver fox demons that he knew of that would make excellent trainers for the young kit; for a fair price of course.

"I guess I don't really have a choice," Kagome said with a light grin. She felt…content suddenly. And that feeling surprised and worried her. This situation felt almost right to her, as if it were supposed to happen.

"Yay!" Shippo squealed as they entered the dinning hall. Again only three places were set. He jumped from his mother's arms and raced to his seat, climbing up happily as he did so. If a Kitsune were to train him, then he would know exactly what he could do to protect his mother.

Kagome sat back contently as she finished the last of her meal. Again, the three of them had had a comfortable time talking about little things that had happened since breakfast. Shippo had over dramatized his game of hide and seek with Kohaku. Kagome didn't really have much to say, although she did make comments about how happy she was that Shippo had made a friend in Kohaku, and Naraku had said he would make sure Kohaku was free whenever Shippo wanted to play. At the end of the meal Naraku stood carefully.

"Tonight I am afraid I will not be able to join you for dinner. I have guests coming and for your safety I think it is best we eat separately," Naraku said much to Shippo's disappointment. During the past week he'd won Shippo over with a show of kindness and consideration that Shippo hadn't received from a male figure since his father had died. Since Shippo was a demon he was able to accept Naraku as the alpha.

Naraku looked over at Kagome and, with a jolt of shock, was surprised to see a glimmer of disappointment in her own eyes. Was she actually upset that he would not be eating with them or was she upset that she wouldn't get the chance to escape with his guests? "I'm sure Kagura and Kohaku would be happy to take my place," Naraku said with a careful eye on the Miko. The shadow of regret didn't fade away, though she did manage a smile.

"That would be nice, thank you," Kagome said as she too stood. "Shippo. We better head to our room, it's time for your writing lesson," Kagome said with a sweet smile. Shippo looked at her warily but nodded. He preferred to draw over writing, but Kagome was determined to have him be literate.

Naraku watched Kagome and Shippo as they left, nodding in farewell as they said their goodbyes. He'd known for some time that Kagome was educated, he'd learned a great deal of things while spying on her when she was with Inu-Yasha. Naraku sighed and rubbed his head. Thinking about that half dog always made him irritable.

Kohaku was just outside of the dinning hall, ready to lead Kagome and Shippo back to their room. Even after a week, it was still easy for Kagome to get lost.

"Are you ready Miko Kagome, Shippo?" Kohaku asked with a respectful bow of hello.

"Yup," Shippo said as he leapt from his mother to the floor so he could walk next to Kohaku. Kagome nodded as Kohaku looked to her for confirmation.

Kohaku smiled and lead the way through the dining room doors towards Kagome and Shippo's room. Kagome was silent most of the way, listening and Shippo told Kohaku what Naraku was planning for him.

"Kohaku…do you…" Kagome was afraid to ask him if he remembered Sango, but she had to know. If Inu-Yasha and her friends were still planning on attacking Naraku, then she wanted to know if Kohaku would fight with Naraku.

"Remember my sister Sango? Yes, I remember almost everything from my life," Kohaku said as he rubbed his head. He looked at Kagome as they walked. "The shard helped me to remember faster, but after I regained my soul Naraku removed it," Kohaku said with a grin. "It's nice to be able to live without it," he said as he continued on.

"If you remember then what are you going to do?" Kagome asked in sympathy.

Kohaku was silent for a moment as he looked away. His expression was in turmoil. "I won't fight. Naraku has ordered me to stay away from any conflict until the final battle is done. If Sango is still alive after everything, then I am allowed to return to her. Otherwise I am to stay here." Kohaku stopped walking and turned to fully face Kagome.

"Miko Kagome, Naraku isn't as bad as you think he is! Yes he has a temper and can be as stubborn as steel, but he cares about his lands and his people. He's a good leader and a strong man." Kohaku was desperate to make Kagome understand. "He has admitted to me that he has done some horrible things in his life, but he's trying to make things right. If you don't trust him, then trust me."

Kagome gaped at him as he turned and continued to lead them forward in silence. She'd guessed that maybe things were not as they seemed, but having Kohaku defend the man that had originally caused his death was a shock to Kagome. Slowly her mind started to come to realizations that before coming here she would have never made.

Although Naraku had initiated many battles, Inu-Yasha started more. Even though Miroku still had the wind tunnel, Naraku had stopped using his wasps. In fact Naraku hadn't even tried to kill them recently; he had been fighting defensively.

Her thoughts were interrupted as they arrived at her room. "Naraku says the battle is going to be too dangerous for me. He says without the jewel shard, I'll be in too much danger," Kohaku told her softly. "I have to go now, but if you need anything just ask." Kohaku said as he took a step back.

"Thank you Kohaku," Kagome called out to his retreating back. The boy demon slayer had given her quit a bit to think about.

"See you later Kohaku," Shippo happily said as he walked into the room.

Kohaku turned to wave at Shippo before walking on

Naraku frowned at the mirror in front of him as he waited for his guest from the Northern land to arrive. He was worried that even though Kohaku had spoken the truth, Kagome would still deny the facts. Would she be able to trust him eventually? He knew she was intelligent and that she had already figured out he could not control the young demon slayer without a jewel shard implanted in him. So would she trust his words? And if she did, would he be closer to admitting the truth to Kagome?

It wasn't long before he was pulled from his thoughts as the Northern Demon Lord entered his palace. Naraku was in the process of earning the support from the demon lords in Japan. It was all part of his plan to gain a permanent place among them. "Kanna, go welcome our guest," Naraku said as the emotionless girl wiped the image of Kagome starting the writing lesson with Shippo away from her mirror.

'Perhaps if I can finish this meeting early, I can surprise Kagome by arriving for dinner,' Naraku thought with a small smile as he straightened his Kimono and Hakama to meet the Northern Lord. This Lord was the key; he was the one that would force the other lords into accepting Naraku.

* * *

><p>AN:

Edits for chapter 5 have been complete. In the attempt to become a better writer I've decided to go through and update/edit Naraku's prisoner. Once I'm done I'll move on to rewriting Naraku's child.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not now nor will I ever own Inu-Yasha or anything Inu-Yasha copyrighted. I do own the thoughts and images that run through my head and I will never give them up, they are apart of my hoard.

Naraku's Prisoner

Chapter 6: Confusion of the Mind and Heart

By Ethril Dragon

'Do be careful Shippo,' Kagome thought as she watched her son parry another blow from the handsome silver kitsune that was training him. She chewed her lip as she watched Shippo dodge to the side and attempt to attack the older and more powerful kitsune. The two wooden swords met and there was a crunching sound as one broke. Kagome eeped as the silver kitsune sent Shippo sprawling after Shippo's failed attempt.

"You are a kitsune. Use your senses to find an opening. Don't just rely on your eyes," Taro said as he helped Shippo to his feet. "Even while using a weapon, you should rely on your natural abilities. They are your greatest weapon against any foe."

Shippo nodded and panted softly as he started to take up his stance, only to be stopped by Taro's hand on his shoulder. "That is enough for today." Taro said as he glanced up at Kagome. The woman looked out of her wits with worry for her small son. "Any more and your mother may have a heart attack." Taro said with a gentle grin. The silver kitsune had been one of Naraku's first allies when the spider demon had begun building his kingdom. When Naraku came to Taro to request his expertise in training Shippo, Taro had readily agreed. He owed Naraku quite a bit since the spider demon had helped his clan on various occasions. 'Ever since our alliance, my clan has had nothing but good fortune. There have been no human attacks or other youkai raids.'

"Are you alright Shippo?" Kagome asked kindly as she lifted Shippo into her arms. She felt Shippo squirm before relaxing in her arms.

"I'm fine momma. We use bokens so I don't really get hurt," Shippo said, crossing his arms over his chest in mock irritation. He stuck his nose into the air as Kagome carried him towards their room.

"I'm only worried about you sweet heart. You haven't been training that long and I don't like to see you get hurt," Kagome said comfortingly. Being raised in the modern era, she wasn't used to seeing very small children learn how to fight. Every day people only learned self defense, not the life and death fighting that was required in the Feudal times.

"I want to be stronger so I can protect you momma," Shippo said as he hugged his mother around the neck. He was tired of always running away when there was danger, and of having his mother protect him. As her eldest son it was his job to protect his mother when she had no mate to do so.

"You're already strong Shippo," Kagome said with a big loving grin. In her heart, she knew Shippo would have to learn to fight some day, it just hurt to think her little Shippo was growing up and learning what she considered to be adult things.

Shippo huffed and pouted. "Not strong enough," He muttered defiantly. He had to become stronger, if not for his momma then for himself. He had lost so many loved ones already because he wasn't strong enough, or brave enough, and he hated to have to rely on some one else's strength. 'Like Inu-Yasha," He thought with hurt pride. That stupid idiot had always complained about how week he and his momma were, and how Inu-Yasha would always have to rush in to save them from danger. Shippo growled with irritation at the thought. Some day, he would show Inu-Yasha he wasn't some week kit that needed protection. Shippo would challenge Inu-Yasha to a fight and then win the fight to prove he wasn't weak.

Kagome looked at her son worriedly as he started to brood. She started to frown as she heard a light growling sound emit from her son. "Shippo, are you alright?" She asked hesitantly as she set her son down onto their futon. It wasn't like Shippo to be this way, unless he had just fought with Inu-Yasha.

'Inu-Yasha…haven't thought about him for awhile,' Kagome thought as she started brooding herself. 'That stubborn dog, thinking he's all high and mighty. He makes me so mad!' Kagome thought with vehemence. What she wouldn't give to just sit him to hell. It had been a month since she had last seen him, but no amount of time had calmed her anger with him.

"I'm fine momma, just tired," Shippo whispered as he stopped brooding and started yawning. Before another word could be murmured, he crawled under the covers of the futon to take an afternoon nap before lunch.

Kagome looked at her son with surprise, his words snapping her out of her angry mental tirade. She smiled and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. "Rest well my little kit," She murmured as she stood and left her room.

As she left her room she glanced around for a moment to see if anyone was around. She would have liked to have spent some time with Kagura, but she hadn't seen Kagura in a few days now. Kagome remembered Naraku mentioning that Kagura was out meeting with someone and wouldn't be back for some time. Kagome sighed.

During the month that she and Shippo had been in Naraku's palace, she and Kagura had grown close. Kagome remembered when Kagura would do almost anything to get out of the clutches of Naraku, but she had admitted to Kagome recently that she had only fought back because of how often Naraku had lost his temper. Things had cooled down for awhile, and Naraku was actually offering to return her heart to her before the final battle so she could make her own choice. 'Then I asked her if she could trust him to keep his word,' Kagome thought as she remembered that day.

* * *

><p>*Flash Back*<p>

"Kagura…You said you didn't want to serve Naraku," Kagome said during a nice breezy day as she and Kagura drank tea on one of the verandas of Naraku's palace.

Kagura grew quiet as she looked out at the horizon. "I once thought that was what I wanted, but now I realize there is more to it. I will willing serve Naraku, but I just want my freedom to do what I want. I want to make my own decisions on whether I stay or go. I am the wind."

Kagome thought about her words for a moment and sipped at the jasmine tea that Kanna had made for them. "What about your heart?" Kagome asked softly as she too watched the horizon.

Kagura smiled softly. "Naraku has promised me that before the final battle, he will return my heart to me."

Kagome looked at Kagura in surprise. "And you think he will keep his word? Do you think he'll decide not to and wait until after the battle?" She asked with skepticism.

Kagura sighed and placed a hand on her new friends shoulder. "Naraku is many things Kagome. One thing he is not is a word breaker. If he says he will do something, he will. He may bend the truth a little, but he has never outright lied about anything. He will keep his word, that is one thing I can guarantee about him."

Kagome nodded slowly. Although Naraku had been destructive and dark when confronting Kagome's old group he had never lied to them. "I guess you're right Kagura," Kagome said slowly.

They sat there for a few more minutes before Kagura asked something that completely threw Kagome off balance. "What are your feelings for Naraku Kagome? Be honest."

Kagome was about to say she hated him and that he was the most vile creature on the face of the planet, but her mouth snapped shut. Suddenly, she didn't fully believe that's what she thought of him. 'What do I think of him? How do I really feel about him?' She wondered quietly to herself.

*End Flash Back*

* * *

><p>Kagome hadn't answered Kagura that day, or any of the other times Kagura had asked. 'What are my feelings now that I have seen another side of the man that has caused so much trouble in my life and the lives of my friends?' she wondered again quietly. She knew Sango would have little reason to fight Naraku now that Kohaku was whole again and had been promised his freedom. Kagome knew that Kikyo had never truly loved Inu-Yasha so her death had probably been more of a blessing for the hanyo. As for Miroku… "He has the only real reason to want to kill Naraku," Kagome said softly to herself, unaware of a presence behind her until the voice spoke.<p>

"Who has the only real reason for wanting to kill me?" Kagome spun around in surprise to find Naraku standing a few feet to her right. During her thoughts, Kagome had wandered outside into the sand garden.

Kagome shifted uncomfortably. She had been nervous around Naraku ever since she realized she was unsure about her feelings. "I was thinking about Miroku. Out of everyone in my old group, he has the only real reason for wanting your death. He needs to lift the curse before it consumes him," Kagome said, her eyes avoiding Naraku's face.

Naraku sighed softly and walked towards Kagome. "He can lift it without my death you know," He stated simply. "Unlike his father, your friend Miroku still has the chance."  
>Kagome looked at Naraku in surprise. "Chance at what?" She asked curiously.<p>

"The chance at true love. The wind tunnel can be lifted one of two ways. By killing the original caster, or by finding the person's true love. Your friend's father had simply found a woman that was willing to bare his child, and then had died from the wind tunnel sucking him into it. Your friend must only give himself to his true love. If he gives himself to any other then the only way is to kill me," Naraku didn't look at Kagome, instead he looked at the sand in it's rippled state.

Kagome moaned and rubbed her eyes. "Knowing Miroku he's already given himself to a dozen girls."

Naraku smirked slightly. "He has not." Naraku said before turning and walking.

Kagome, curious as to how Naraku would know such a thing, followed. "How would you know?" She asked curiously.

"The wind tunnel allows me to keep an eye on him. I've been keeping tabs on him since his birth," Naraku chuckled very softly. "As perverted as he is, your friend has yet to be with a woman."

Kagome thought about this for a minute or two. "So Sango is his true love?" Kagome asked slowly.

Naraku shrugged. "He needs to be brave and find out for himself."

Kagome smiled and fell into step next to Naraku. She had grown to enjoy these surprise walks he shared with her. Typically he would lead her into the center of his favorite garden where they would talk about things, or just rest and watch the koi.

Kagome wondered about why she was so comfortable around Naraku now. He'd been nothing but kind to her since that day he'd first brought her to his palace. To be honest a year ago if she'd been told she would actually think Naraku was a nice guy she would have never believed it. Now though, she was beginning to forget what Naraku had been like before her time here.

Kagome had become comfortable in Naraku's palace. She'd gotten to know many of the servants around the palace and had been surprised to find demons and humans working there. Her surprise had only gotten stronger when she found out that Naraku also employed several hanyos.

In time both she and Shippo had been included in the daily routine of Naraku's palace. Kagome admitted to herself that it was rather nice to not have to travel around or sleep in the dirt anymore.

Naraku glanced at Kagome out of the corner of his eye ever few seconds. She was just so beautiful today. Kagome was smiling gently and her eyes were half closed. She seemed to float with each step. Never would he have imagined Kagome would take to him so quickly. 'Waiting is starting to pay off,' he thought as he led the way deeper into his garden.

"You're walking next to me," Naraku commented idly as they followed the gentle spiral deeper and deeper into the garden. "When I first brought you here, you were always at least a step behind me."

Kagome stumbled for a moment and looked at Naraku in surprise. He was right; she was walking next to him. "Oh um…" She really had nothing to say; what could she say? It's not like she'd actively thought about walking next to him; it had just happened. Once again she wondered just when she'd become so comfortable in Naraku's presence.

Naraku looked at the confused expression in Kagome's face and he sighed. He'd made a great deal of progress with her, but she wasn't quite ready to hear his confession. He was so close, and yet he still had to be patient. "Forget I said anything Kagome."

Kagome bit her lip and took a few quick steps to catch up to Naraku. Again she was beside him as they walked. 'This feels right some how,' she thought as they continued on. Kagome forgot about her confusion for the moment so she could just enjoy the wonderful day.

It wasn't long until they were at the center of the garden once more. Naraku sat down on the bench and Kagome joined him, as she did every time they came here. She shivered as his hip brushed hers with the barest of touches.

Naraku felt his hip brush hers and he felt the shiver run through her body from the contact. He kept his outward expression calm even though he was mentally elated by Kagome's reaction.

"May I ask you something Naraku?" Kagome finally said after what felt like forever.

"You may always ask me anything Kagome, just remember I can't always answer." Naraku said, his eyes never leaving the pound.

Kagome bit her lip before asking the question that had been on her mind for sometime now. "Why did you attack my group so much? During my time here you've shown me a side of you I would have never believed possible before. So…why?"

Naraku looked at her contemplatively before looking away. "In a way I still felt anger towards Inu-Yasha. Kikyo had been the first woman I had ever felt love towards," Naraku began to slowly explain. "Now that I look back on it I think it was more lust then love." Naraku sighed. "Even though I was a horrible human being, she took me in and took care of me. She gave me sanctuary. So, to me, it was my duty to protect and care for her." Again Naraku sighed and his eyes were distant. "I was too weak to tell her, so when I found out about Inu-Yasha I felt…enraged. I felt like he had stolen her before I'd ever had a chance. I gave myself to the demons for the one chance at showing Kikyo that I was the better choice."

Naraku was silent for awhile and Kagome became worried. "You…don't have to continue." She whispered.

"No Kagome. I have to. When I….When I saw her in his arms, I lost control. What little humanity I had left was put into a deep sleep." Again Naraku sighed and he closed his eyes. Gently, almost to gentle for Kagome to feel, he touched her hand with the tips of his fingers. "Then when I saw him with you 50 years later…my only thought was that it wasn't fair. How come he, who didn't appreciate the love given to him, got to be with a wonderful woman like you? I swore vengeance against the dog for taking away my first love, and then taking her reincarnation whom he didn't deserve."

"So that's what I am to you; just her reincarnation?" Kagome felt her heart drop.

"Let me finish Kagome, please." Kagome felt his fingers on her chin and she looked up into his eyes. "The more I watched you and your group, the more I realized you were nothing like Kikyo." His face was slowly getting closer to hers. "I realized you were even more special then her. I realized that you had so much more life then Kikyo, that you were kind even to those that would kill you. You protected everyone, not just the weak." His face was only an inch from hers now. "You are so much more beautiful then her. I couldn't stand how Inu-Yasha treated you."

"I don't understand." Kagome's voice was so soft that Naraku could feel her breath ghost across his lips.

Naraku hesitated. Oh how he wished he could just tell her. He wanted to kiss her so much right at that moment that it took all of his will power not too. He pulled away and let go of her chin. "One day you will…" Naraku held out his hand to help her up. He felt her tiny hand slip into his and his fingers wrapped around her hand. She stood up gracefully and he watched as her other hand slipped down her waist and legs to smooth out her kimono.

"You should head back," Naraku told her. He reverted back to his calm and serious demeanor. Naraku shouldn't have let himself loose control like that. "Shippo should be waking up soon and dinner will be ready shortly. Kagura should be returning today and she will dine with you for lunch. I have important affairs to oversee," Naraku said, the sorrow leaving his expression as he led the way out of his garden.

Kagome nodded as she followed after Naraku once more. She was deep in thought and didn't realize her hand was still within Naraku's. She really didn't understand what Naraku had told her. Kagome had always known Naraku had been watching her group, but she hadn't realized for how long. What did she mean to him? Part of her wanted to believe he saw her as more then a replacement for Kikyo, but after years of dealing with Inu-Yasha it was hard for her to think otherwise.

Did Naraku really care about her? He wouldn't have said all those things if he didn't at least feel something. She had to wonder though just what his feelings were; was it possibly love or was it just lust?

They silently parted ways so Kagome could head back to her room and Naraku could make his way to the entrance of the palace. Her thoughts were on their very revealing conversation and his were on the borders of his land.

Kagome roused Shippo from his nap and carried him to the dinning hall for lunch. She was pleasantly surprised to find Kagura waiting there for them. To Kagome's pleasure Kanna had also elected to join them for dinner.

"I've missed you Kagura!" Kagome exclaimed as she hugged her new friend. She smiled and felt Kagura return the hug. "Where have you been?"

Kagura laughed and took her seat at the table for lunch. Kanna was sitting over by Shippo and Shippo was trying to pull Kanna into a conversation. Kanna was slowly responding with simple 'yes' and 'no' answers.

"Oh here and there," Kagura said with a wave of her fan. "I was meeting with a very important man." Kagura flicked her fan in front of her face to hide her large grin.

Kagome, being the teenage girl that she was, grinned and giggled. "You have a crush!" A blush spread across Kagura's cheeks and Kagome laughed. "Who is he? Is he gorgeous?"

Kagura blushed and fanned her self slightly. "He is quit handsome. I think I might be winning him over."

The conversation continued on this strain and after awhile Kagome was able to get Kagura to admit that the mystery man had been Sesshomaru. Kagome and Kagura were giggling and gossiping all through dinner in this manner. Shippo rolled his eyes constantly and Kanna couldn't help but frown at the two older women.

Finally Shippo had had enough. "Momma, can Kanna and I go play with Kohaku?" He asked loud enough to stop another spasm of his mothers giggling. It was the times like these that reminded him that Kagome was very much a young human. At these moments it was difficult for him to ignore the age gap between them. He was in fact older then Kagome by several years. Their age difference worried Shippo; she'd be long dead before he reached adulthood, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Kagome nodded. "Only if he isn't busy. Leave him alone if he is alright?"

Shippo nodded and hurried out the door, just in time to avoid hearing another burst of his mothers giggling and Kagura's pleads for her to stop teasing. Kanna followed after him just as quickly.

Kagome eventually relented in her teasing and the two women caught up on other things. After lunch Kagura pulled out a few maps to show Kagome where the borders of Naraku's lands were. The wind sorceress even pointed out where Naraku's palace was located. Seeing just where they were surprised Kagome; her old group had gotten so close to Naraku's palace and they had never even realized it.

The rest of the day went by quickly and when dinner rolled around Kagome was disappointed to find that Naraku had not joined them.. "I wonder where he is?" She wondered idly to herself. Kagome didn't realize she'd asked the question out loud until Kagura answered her.

"Naraku had to go deal with a border dispute. Not all the bordering lords are…accepting his lordship and have been pressing against his lands for some time." Kagura said lightly. "It's probably nothing to worry about; he's very good at protecting his army."

Dinner went by quickly and after dinner Kagome, Kagura, and Kanna left for the hot springs. The hot water felt so wonderful on Kagome's skin that she lowered herself all the way up to her ears. She rubbed her hands across her body to cleanse herself. Even with the warmth relaxing her muscles, Kagome felt a tension she couldn't explain.

"Lord Naraku is just fine." Kanna said suddenly. Kagome sat up and looked over at the pale white haired girl. Kanna reached out of the water and to the boards next to her. She lifted up her mirror and the surface flashed for a second. The clear surface changed and an image of Naraku filled the glassy surface. Naraku was standing on a rise, a large sword in his hand. His hair was waving in the silent breeze and his armor was covered in blood. Kagome felt a chill down her spine and her first thought was 'who's blood is that?' A wave of lesser demons came up to try and attack Naraku, but with a single swipe of his sword all of the demons vanished. Kagome relaxed slightly and released the breath she had been holding. At least he wasn't hurt.

"Aah, is wittle Kagome worried about Naraku-kun?" Kagura asked teasingly with a baby voice. Kagome frowned and glared at her. She lifted a hand and pushed it through the water towards Kagura. A wave of water formed and landed squarely in Kagura's laugh face.

Kagura sputtered for a moment before growling and sending a wave right back at Kagome. Kagome ducked and the wave went past her and landed right up against Kanna. Kanna blinked several times and then looked at her mirror. She set the mirror down carefully and slowly.

"Oh Kanna I'm so-" Kagome didn't get to finish her sentence when she swallowed a mouthful of water. Kanna had retaliated.

The three began an all out water fight which ended with a hell of a lot of water all over the floor. The fight ended with a great deal of laughter and a lot of slipping around the floor. After drying off three split up and Kagome returned to her room. She was still in the process of drying her hair when she entered her room. Shippo was staying in Kohaku's room so Kagome wasn't expecting anyone to be in her room.

She hummed softly as a soft light grew in her room. She was wearing a thin bathing kimono and she began slipping it off when she turned to head over to her futon. Kagome stopped with a gasp, her kimono slipping half off her shoulders. There sitting on her bed, was Naraku. His armor was gone and his body was clean of the blood she had seen earlier in Kanna's mirror.

Kagome was stunned as she looked at him. His eyes were closed and his hands were folded in his lap. She must have made some small noise, because his eyes opened slowly and he turned his head slightly to look at her.

Kagome felt heat spread over her cheeks and her kimono slipped a little more from her hands. There was a hunger in those crimson eyes that sent shivers up and down her spine. Kagome could feel goose bumps spread across her arms.

"N-Naraku…what are you doing here?" Her voice was barely a gasp of air as she tried to swallow down her shock. Kagome felt almost detached as she watched Naraku stand up. She felt hypnotized by the fluidity of his movements, so much so that she still could not move.

Naraku lightly grasped the hem of her kimono and slid it up back up onto her shoulder. Naraku was careful not to actually physically touch her.

Kagome shivered as she felt the silk of the kimono slide across her skin. He never touched her, but the slowness of his movements seemed almost too sensual.

Naraku continued to be silent as he looked into Kagome's eyes. "During battle, has your mind ever…lost focus?" Naraku asked softly. His fingers lifted to touch a damp strand of her hair. It curled around his finger and stuck to his skin. "Today, I couldn't stop thinking about you," his fingers let go of her damp lock and hovered over her shoulder. "I kept finding myself dreaming about you. Every time there was a lull in the fighting, I wondered what you were doing." The very tips of his fingers skimmed over her shoulder and neck, sending shivers across her body. "I don't think I could live if I had to be away from you for any length of time." Naraku whispered as he ran his fingers tenderly across her skin.

Kagome shivered at the feel of his hand skimming over her neck and shoulder. Her kimono slipped again and more of her shoulder was revealed to his trailing touches. His words confused and excited her. No one had ever said those kinds of things to her. The more she thought about what was happening, the more confused she became. Once more a part of her mind told her that Naraku was supposed to be the enemy. Memories of when he raped her filtered into her confused thoughts.

Kagome shook her head slightly and tried to take a step away from Naraku, but her body wouldn't respond. Confusion caused tears to build up in her eyes as she fought with herself emotionally. Naraku was kind to her, but he had been the enemy up until now. He'd…he'd raped her to get his way.

"Kagome…" Naraku gently placed his hands on her shoulders to keep her still. "Kagome tell me now that you feel nothing; nothing at all. Tell me you have no feelings for me and I'll let you go. You can leave tonight if that's what you want." Naraku said hurriedly. His eyes were burning with something Kagome had only ever seen once. The way he was looking at her reminded her of how Inu-Yasha would look at Kikyo some times. "I'll never again chase after you, I'll never fight you, I'll never touch you. I'll even return the jewel shards to you. Just…just tell me you don't feel anything."

Kagome didn't know what to say or do. Her body was in turmoil. His touch was so familiar and comforting that she didn't know what to do. She wanted to pull away, but she also wanted to be held. Kagome wanted to be held tight and she wanted to be protected; she wanted something she didn't know how to explain.

Kagome whimpered softly and looked down at the ground. Her hands came up and covered her eyes. She was so confused right now and she didn't know why! Kagome didn't know what she wanted; she didn't know what to tell Naraku. Did she care about him? Wasn't she supposed to hate him? She knew one thing, she couldn't lie to him. Kagome felt something; she just didn't know how to describe it.

Naraku watched her, his emotions dropping as her silence went on and on. He regretted his choice of telling her now; he should have been more patient. It's just, during battle he couldn't stop thinking about her. Naraku would never admit it to anyone, but he'd come close to death at one point. He'd been so distracted by his own thoughts that one of the lesser demons had nearly severed his head. If his instincts hadn't been as strong as they were, he'd be dead. That moment put into perspective just how much Kagome meant to him. Naraku couldn't keep going like this without her knowing how he felt.

Naraku felt Kagome buckle against his hands and she slid to her knees. Naraku carefully knelt next to her, his sadness turning to worry as he looked into her eyes. She looked so frightened; it was like he was looking at a rabbit cornered by a wolf. Naraku wrapped his arms around her quickly and held Kagome against his chest. He rocked her against him, his arms holding her tight. "You don't have to say anything right now. I can wait." Naraku told her over and over that he could wait for her answer. He would wait for her, for as long as it took. The waiting might kill him, but at least she would know he loved her enough to let her take her time.

Kagome slowly relaxed in Naraku's arms. Naraku sighed and breathed in deeply. Her scent rolled off of her in waves and his eyes rolled back into his head. She was so beautiful and all he could do was hold her. Naraku clenched his fangs together and he held Kagome tighter. He wanted Kagome so much it hurt. Naraku had to fight with all his will to keep from mating with Kagome. She meant so damned much to him.

Kagome shivered and tilted her head back slightly as she felt his claws run through the strands of her still damp hair. What did she want? She was just so…so confused. She clenched her fingers around his kimono and started to sob. If she really did love him, then was she betraying her friends and family? Was she betraying her mission to purify the shikon jewel? He had offered to return the jewel shards to her if she felt nothing, but she couldn't lie. Naraku was the supposed enemy here and she was starting to think that maybe…she did love him.

"_I can wait," _

His words echoed in her mind. Didn't it count for something that he was willing to wait for her answer? She knew Inu-Yasha would have never been willing to wait. He would have forced her to make a decision. Even though she would have waited for him, she knew Inu-Yasha would have never waited for her. If Inu-Yasha had demanded a choice, her heart would have broken.

Kagome began to grow dizzy and the world started spinning for her. She panted softly and Kagome whimpered. "Do I love him?" She whispered in a near faint. "N-Naraku." And with that Kagome was out. She slumped into his arms and fell into a deep sleep.

Naraku was a little surprised at first that Kagome had passed out against his chest. Then her words hit him and he looked at her with affection. She hadn't said cared for, she hadn't said liked, no she had said loved. If she was questioning herself, then that meant he had a big chance to win her over.

He held her like that for the longest of time, half sitting while cradling the tired and confused miko in his arms. He hummed softly, an old tune he vaguely remembered from his childhood as he lifted Kagome into his arms and settled her into her futon. He hesitated for a moment before gently laying down next to her. 'Just for a few minutes,' he thought as he wrapped his arms around her. He wouldn't fall asleep; he just wanted to know what it would feel like to hold her close while she was asleep.

Against his better wishes, he eventually fell asleep.

* * *

><p>'So warm,' Kagome thought blurrily as she snuggled deeper into the blankets on her futon. The warmth surrounded her and she smiled in contentment. She started to drift back into a full sleep when a small thought wriggled its way into her mind. She stayed still for a minute, listening to the thought and only realized what it was when an arm shifted from around her stomach pulling her closer to a firm surface behind her.<p>

Kagome held very still, still half asleep as she tried to register what exactly was going on. Who was holding her? 'Can't be Inu-Yasha…he would never hold me like this,' Inu-Yasha had held her a few times in the past, but the embraces had never been anything like this.. So who could it be? 'Feels good though,' her mind commented as she shifted slightly to cuddle closer. The smell of rain filtered through her senses and Kagome blinked several times. The moment she did though, she gasped and blushed deeply.

. 'Naraku…but why would Naraku be holding me while I slept?' she thought, the rational part of her mind still fast asleep. 'No matter, it's comfy,' she snuggled happily into the warmth and sighed as she stayed in her half sleep state.

An hour later Kagome finally woke up enough to suddenly realize that it really was Naraku that was holding her. She blushed, but didn't move. To be honest she was still really comfortable and she couldn't remember when she had slept so well in her life. Every time she squirmed he would pull her back against him and nuzzle the back of her neck. She blushed and shook his arm gently.

"Um…Naraku…could you, could you please let go?" She whispered as she shook his arm gently.

Naraku felt the shaking of his arm, and knew it was Kagome. He had been awake for some time before she had woken up, but he had been too content to leave her just yet.

Sighing as he heard her hesitant and nervous words, he stretched, purposefully leaning forward into her and only to curl around her as he ended his stretch, similar to how a cat would stretch. He heard her eep and smiled warmly as she squirmed nervously, but not fearfully. 'Best stop the charade,' he thought sadly as he propped himself up on his elbow. He looked down at the flushed and nervous female under him and smiled.

Kagome blushed deeper as she looked up into the handsome face that was smiling just for her. Would he always smile for her like that if she choose to be with him? 'Why am I even thinking that?' she wondered embarrassingly. 'Because he is caring and so damn hot!' the irrational part of her mind answered. Kagome pushed that part of her mind away, but couldn't help thinking about it.

Kagome looked at him nervously, but stayed still. Naraku was a very handsome man, in the tall dark and handsome kind of way. But did she love him? 'I'm attracted to him, that much I have figured out…but love? I can only love some one that loves me for me,' she thought as she conjured up the image of Inu-Yasha. She could never love him as long as he saw Kikyo when he saw her.

"Good…Good morning Naraku," Kagome said, her voice shaking with suppressed nervousness.

Naraku sat up and stretched again. "Good morning Kagome. I am sorry to have fallen asleep in your presence. I had not meant too. If I have caused you discomfort I apologize," Naraku said with a bow of his head. He stood and held out a hand to help Kagome up. Kagome blushed and took his offered hand, unaware of how her kimono fell open to reveal a curve of her breast.

Naraku looked away for a moment as Kagome stood and straightened herself. "I will see you at breakfast Kagome. I will leave you for now so you may be able to change and freshen up," Naraku said as he bowed and exited the room.

Kagome stood there for a moment until her mind went into its turmoil again. 'Ug, it's too early for this,' she thought as she closed the door and removed her kimono. She looked over her body, noticing that she was starting to become a little curvier in the chest, and then choose a new kimono to wear for the day.

'What are my feelings though…' she wondered a final time before fixing her hair and heading for breakfast. "Perhaps I can get some alone time today to think about it," she whispered unaware of the presence that heard her wish.

* * *

><p>AN:

You know I never realized just how long this chapter was. Anyway edits are done and I'm actually a lot happier with the grammar of this chapter. I think this chapter flows a lot better now.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: So I don't have to do this, but Sesshy is determined to make me. :: pouts :: I don't own Inu-Yasha but I would absolutely love it if I did.

Naraku's Prisoner

Chapter 7: Acceptance

By Ethril Dragon

Kagome yawned for the fifth time over breakfast, her spoon dropping onto her plate with a soft clunk. She rubbed her eyes and then picked the spoon back up. 'This is getting to be too much,' she thought tiredly as she stared at her food before eating a little more. She was just so tired now, but she knew that if she tried to go and take a nap it wouldn't work. She would just lay on her futon and stare at the ceiling trying to sleep.

"Kagome, I'm starting to get worried. You've been so tired the last few days. What's wrong?" Kagura asked as she set her own spoon down and gently touched Kagome's shoulder.

"Mamma hasn't been getting much sleep," Shippo said before he finished his meal and left. Today was training day for him and he was excited. Over the past few days, Taro had told him he'd had a great amount of improvement. As part of his training now Shippo would be sparing with Kohaku.

Kagura looked at Kagome worriedly. Kagome had started nodding off again and had failed to respond to Shippo's comment. "Kagome, maybe you should relax today? You look dead on your feet." Kagura said soothingly as she reached over and rubbed Kagome's shoulder.

Kagome smiled wanly a sighed. "I know. I just," She sighed again and leaned back in her chair. "I don't know what's wrong. I've been so tired but I can never seem to fall asleep." For the past couple nights, Kagome had only been able to fall asleep due to sheer exhaustion.

Kagura sighed and motioned for a servant to take their dishes. "Well, I think you should rest today Kagome. The last thing we need is for you to faint from exhaustion and get hurt." Kagome knew Kagura was right.

After the dishes were cleared away, Kagura shooed Kagome out of the dining hall and towards Kagome's room. Kagome yawned and unconsciously walked right past her room. She barely paid attention to where she was going until she was standing just outside Naraku's garden. Kagome blinked a couple times and then looked around. She had never been in his garden without his presence; would she be in trouble if she went in now?

With a shrug and a sigh Kagome stepped into the garden and slowly followed the subtle spiral deeper and deeper into Naraku's garden. She felt no real resistance as she walked, which her tired mind failed to comprehend. Naraku had told her that the garden was protected by a barrier that wouldn't allow people to enter without Naraku. With every step Kagome took she felt her body relax. She began swaying gently until finally she reached the center of the garden. With a grateful sigh, Kagome went to the bench and curled up on top of it. She fell asleep almost instantly, failing to realize that someone else was already occupying the garden.

Naraku had been pacing his garden, growling softly as he fought with himself. He was restless and his mind was working at only half its normal speed. He was a half demon, and needed very little sleep, but what sleep he needed he had been denied. Naraku growled again and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He glanced down at the koi in his pond and sighed. He watched the two fish as they lazily swam in circles, slowly becoming hypnotized by the swirling bodies and the rippling water.

The koi were protecting his most prized possession. The demon comb laying in the depths of the pond had been in his family for generations. Naraku knelt next to the pound and dipped a clawed finger into the water. The koi fish brushed against his finger making Naraku smile.

He continued to think about the demon comb that was protected by the demon fish. It had been given to his ancestor by a demon lord at the moment of his death. The demon's soul had entered the comb and has been there ever since. 'Why would a demon give such a strong artifact to a human?' he wondered idly. He frowned slightly as he remembered the story his mother had told him.

* * *

><p>*Flash Back*<p>

"Onigumo, come here son," A soft melodic voice said under the sakura tree.

The child Onigumo crawled into his mothers lap and looked up at the comb that was holding back her hair. His mother smiled and reached up to pull the comb out. Without the comb holding her hair back the long and shiny black locks fell across her shoulders and back. "You want to see this?" she asked as she handed the comb to him. She only ever wore the comb when they were out in public or when her husband wasn't home; the comb was supposed to able to protect the wearer. .

Onigumo nodded and gently took the comb. His fingers brushed against the teeth and he shivered. Suddenly the comb grew warm in his hands and he thought he heard a soft voice whisper to him.

"My son, that comb is very important. It holds the great power of a demon lord," his mother whispered as she covered her hands with his, the comb still in his hands. "It is said that the comb was given to our ancestor as a gift." His mother told her as she watched her son trace the gem in the center of the comb.

"My mother once told me that the demon lord that owned this comb had fallen in love with a human woman. The demon lord knew though that he could never be with her, for she was a human and he was a demon." Onigumo continued remained quiet as his mother told him the story. "To show her that he loved her, he had this comb crafted for her. He placed great power into the comb so that it would protect her for as long as she was alive." Onigumo's mother reached into his hands to gently touch the gem. "On the day he was to give his love the comb, he was attacked. The battle was long and terrible, and the demon lord was wounded badly. Once the battle was over, the demon lord finally made his way to the human woman that had captured his heart." Onigumo's mother sighed and her eyes closed sadly. "The demon lord had been afraid he would never see his human love before he died, so with the last of his strength, he stayed alive. Finally he found his human love resting under a sakura tree."

"Like this one?" Onigumo piped up. He and his mother were in fact sitting under a blossoming sakura tree.

His mother smiled lovingly. "Yes, just like this one. So the demon lord gave his human love the comb and died in her arms." She sighed softly. "They say that at the moment of his death the gem in the comb turned red." Onigumo ran his fingers over the jewel again. "Ever since then, the jewel has been passed down in our family and has protected those that wear it." Onigumo's mother reached up and gently brushed her fingers through his hair. "One day you will give it to the woman you love Onigumo, and it will protect her with all its power."

Onigumo looked at the comb in awe.

*End Flash Back*

* * *

><p>Now that Naraku was a hanyo, it was easy for him to sense the soul of the demon lord within the comb. The comb radiated a need to protect a mistress and it was easy for Naraku to feel it.<p>

Naraku smiled slightly. If everything went according to plan, then the comb wouldn't have too much longer to wait. He then began to wonder about what his mother would think of him now. Would she approve of the fact that he was a hanyo in love with a miko? Naraku doubted she would be upset; his mother had always just wanted him to be happy.

Naraku was so deep in thought that he failed to notice when another person came stumbling into the center of his garden. It wasn't until he heard a soft sigh and saw a woman lie down that he finally took notice. He blinked in surprise when he realized that the woman that was sleeping on the bench was Kagome. 'How did she get in here?' he wondered to himself in surprise as he watched her chest rise and fall with the depth of sleep.

Naraku felt his eyes get heavy and he had to suppress a yawn. He sank down against a tree just behind the bench and his head began drooping. Naraku looked up at Kagome and realization dawned on him. The reason his body had refused sleep was because it wanted to be near Kagome. He chuckled softly as finally he was able to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>Kagome sighed in contentment as the strong arms held her close, one hand rubbing small circles against her growing stomach. She smiled and felt a small wind pick up to play with a strand of her hair. She reached up a hand to gently tuck the stray hair away. As she pushed it behind her ear her fingers came in contact with a hard surface. She ran her fingers over the comb that was holding her hair back. The comb, which had been such a wonderful gift, had a single crack running along the red gem set in the middle. <em>

_She pulled the comb free and looked at the cracked gem. To think, this little trinket had been able to bring her so much happiness. _

"_Do you think our children will ever be this happy?" She asked gently as the hand rubbing her stomach stopped. She turned to look at her mate with a happy smile…_

Kagome's eyes opened slowly. The dream that had been haunting her was back, but this time there was more too it. 'That comb…what was that about?' she wondered as she slowly lifted her relaxed body off of the hard surface of the bench. She stretched and smiled. Kagome felt rested and a little more energized then she did earlier. That nap was just what she needed. She grinned as she spotted the koi swimming in lazy circles. Kagome felt just as lazy as the fish looked. 'Such a nice nap,' she thought as she looked around. It looked like it was about noon.

As Kagome stood up to leave, she never looked behind her where Naraku was resting against the tree on the ground.

Naraku woke shortly before Kagome did and watched as the mortal beauty stretched and yawned. He stayed as still as he could as she stood and made her way out of his garden, unaware that he had been there with her. He continued to stay where he was even after he felt the barrier open up to let her out.

His barrier opening up so easily worried Naraku. He wanted to bring Kagome and Shippo here during the final battle so they wouldn't be caught up and get hurt. Would the barrier keep them in? 'It should, as long as I will it too,' he thought reasonably as he stood up. Naraku figured the reason the barrier had let her in earlier was because he had escorted her in several times before. Hopefully, when the day came, the barrier would know he wanted her to stay in the garden.

He stayed in his garden a few minutes longer giving Kagome enough time to head back to his palace for lunch. He himself was not hungry, though he felt more rested then he had before. He sighed and rubbed his head. 'Ever since that night I've craved to hold her again. Is it that craving that keeps me up at night?' he wondered as he walked the path towards the entrance of the garden. It was a reasonable explanation; after all his demon side was ruled by instincts.

He had finally been able to sleep when she had been near him in the garden, so that was what he needed. 'But she would not allow me to sleep with her again,' he thought sadly as he walked around his palace to the entrance. He needed to go for a walk, and possibly get rid of a few lower demons that were harming his lands and the people that resided on his lands.

Night time had come sooner then anyone really expected. Kagura hadn't let Kagome do anything all day telling her she needed to rest and relax. Dinner had been uneventful and Naraku had not been there.

"Mamma, can I go sleep in Kohaku's room tonight?" Shippo asked as his mother started getting ready for bed, she had already finished with her bath.

"If he says it's ok and you two actually get some sleep. You've had a long day of training and I want you rested," Kagome said as she wondered how she herself was going to get any sleep.

Shippo grinned happily and ran from the room, his tail twitching excitedly. Kagome sighed tiredly and pulled off her kimono to replace it with her sleeping yukata. 'Alright…time to try and get to sleep,' Kagome thought as she lay down onto her bed.

*Several days later*

Kagome tossed and turned as she desperately tried to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in, but it was useless. It had been useless for the last several nights. No matter how hard she tried now, she just couldn't get to sleep. It had gotten to the point that Shippo had started sleeping either in his own futon or in Kohaku's room. Currently Shippo was in Kohaku's room again for the third night in a row.

Kagome growled in frustration and tossed off her covers. "What is wrong with me?" she asked unhappily a she flopped back down onto her futon as she closed her eyes to try and relax into sleep. It didn't work; nothing did. Ever since she had fallen asleep in Naraku's arms it had become impossible for her to fall asleep until she was so exhausted she just collapsed. She sobbed softly, the stress of not being able to sleep pushing her over the edge once again.

In another area of the palace, Naraku was having the same difficulty as Kagome. He missed the feeling of Kagome in his arms, her head cradled against his shoulder, and her body pressed against his chest. Naraku could barely recall the scent in her hair and the steady rise and fall of her chest as she slept.

If Naraku didn't get sleep soon, he'd collapse on the battlefield. He was reacting slower and slower in battles, his mind either too exhausted from lack of sleep sleep or distracted with the need for Kagome.

"This has to end." He whispered angrily to himself as he launched himself from his room and towards Kagome's. He desperately needed Kagome in his arms. He wouldn't do anything to her as long as he got the chance to hold her. Naraku slowly pulled open the door to Kagome's room and looked at the upright figure sitting in the futon.

"Naraku!"

"Kagome," Naraku murmured as he walked over to her and delicately wrapped his arms around her. He felt her shiver as he lowered himself onto her futon. It wasn't hard to pull her down beside him, to tuck her head under his chin. Naraku could feel Kagome shivering in his arms although he did not smell any fear in her scent. "Relax Kagome, I won't hurt you." Naraku mumbled tiredly as his eyes started to close from exhaustion.

Kagome tried to stay awake, but being in Naraku's arms was more comfortable then she would have originally thought. Her eyes closed and she unconsciously snuggled close into Naraku's chest. With a sigh, she fell asleep at last.

* * *

><p>The sound of birds filtered into the wakening mind of Kagome as the first rays of light shone through the window of her room. Kagome yawned and buried her face deeper into the silk covered chest. Her eyes opened slowly as her mind roused her further to full wakefulness. She tilted her head back and blinked in surprise to find that she had awakened before Naraku. His eyes were closed and his expression completely relaxed. His hair was spread out around him and his yukata had fallen open slightly while they had been asleep.<p>

Kagome blushed as she gently touched his chest. His skin was soft, tempting her to run her fingers across it. Unable to fight the temptation, she ran her fingers from his chest up to his neck and then back again. She did this several times, entranced with the idea of touching someone the way she was. Her eyes followed her fingers, so she didn't see Naraku's eyes open slowly. 'I'd never do this if he was awake,' she thought with a sudden blush.

Naraku felt completely content as he slowly woke up from the best slumber he'd had in awhile. He was warm, he had had a good night of sleep, and now he could feel soft delicate fingers running across his chest. It was that last thought made Naraku stop and open his eyes very slowly. To his amazement it was Kagome who was running her fingers across his chest. Naraku kept still and forced his body to stay as relaxed as possible.

With each stroke of her fingers, Naraku felt his arousal grow. With each pass of her fingers his resolve to pull away from her weakened and his inner demon rose up. His will completely broke when Kagome leaned in to place a gentle kiss against his collar bone. In that instant, Kagome was on her back and Naraku had straddled her hips.

Kagome didn't know why she had kissed his chest, she had simply wanted…wanted to…Her mind blanked. She didn't know what she wanted, or at least she couldn't put what she wanted to words. Kissing Naraku had been an impulse, and she'd only kissed him because she thought he'd been asleep. Now though she looked up at Naraku with wide eyes, her hands pinned by his. "Nar-Naraku!" Kagome gasped as he leaned down to lick the left side of her neck. She gasped as she felt him lightly nip at her ear and she tried to turn her head to look at him.

Her eyes met crimson red demonic eyes and Kagome shivered. Fear, and something else, welled up inside and she tried to pull away. She felt his hands tighten around her wrists as he pressed his body against hers. Her eyes went wide as she felt something very hard press against her. "Naraku!" Her voice rasped and she struggled weakly against his gentle ministrations. She shivered with each pass of his tongue against her shoulder; she gasped as he nipped the delicate skin of her throat. But that was all he did, for several long minutes.

"Momma, Are you coming to Break…" A voice faltered at the doorway were the door had been quickly pushed open. A shocked and embarrassed Shippo muttered apologies and shut the door faster then he had opened it.

Kagome felt her face heat up in shock and embarrassment and she felt Naraku tense above her.

Naraku had been quit content to just lean over Kagome, tasting her flesh again and again. When she didn't fight him he felt encouraged to keep going. Her moans were music to his ears and the feel of her body shivering against his was delightful. Everything was going smoothly, she was willingly giving herself to him, when the sound of her son opening the door made him tense. His demon raged to go and punish the insolent pup for disturbing them, but to do that would upset his mate. He shouldn't upset his mate, not when he was so close to having her. His demon tensed over her still body as he felt his rational side fight to get back control.

"Naraku…are you alright?" a hesitant and soft voice caught his attention. His eyes burned as he opened them, unaware that he had ever closed them. The vision he saw, was enough to push away any thoughts of harming his mates pup. There she was, laid out under him, her sleeping yukata opened enough to reveal luscious breasts which were heaving with silent gasps. Her hands were pinned by his, her cheeks flushed and her eyes questioning. Naraku winced slightly as he looked into those eyes. He saw fear mixed with hesitant arousal and confusion. 'She should not fear me,' he thought as he gently leaned down to capture her lips. He felt her gasp against his lips and he slipped his tongue between the delicate folds to explore her mouth.

Kagome had been worried. When Shippo had innocently opened the door to see if she was coming to breakfast she had been afraid of what Naraku would do. He had shown her nothing but kindness the last few months, but Kagura had warned her Naraku had a nasty temper. With soft spoken words she attempted to pull Naraku's attention back on her. Her plan worked only a little too well. His attention was on her, completely on her. His kiss had been a surprise for her, but she didn't fear it. Her eyes closed slowly as she succumbed to his ministrations. She felt her body relax and he released one of her wrists. She didn't move, she didn't want to move. What he was doing, what they were doing, felt so good.

At that moment, the moment when their eyes met, Kagome felt her breath catch in her throat and she felt something spark between her and Naraku. The memories of him raping her left her mind and her eyes widened. What she saw in the depths of those crimson eyes were not what she expected to see. Instead of lust and power, she saw pain and loneliness. "You won't be forcing me Naraku," She whispered, her words were said from the depths of her heart.

* * *

><p>AN:

The edits for this chapter are done. I didn't find too much that needed changing which made me happy.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha.

Sesshy: Say it again.

Me: I do not own Inu-Yasha

Sesshy: Now release you're death grip on my arm

Me: I said I do not own Inu-Yasha, I said nothing about you.

Naraku's Prisoner

Chapter 8: Mating

By Ethril Dragon

"You won't be forcing me Naraku," She whispered, her words were said from the depths of her heart.

Naraku gasped and captured her lips again in a searing kiss. He released one of her hands to pull her sleeping yukata farther off of her shoulders. Naraku growled in a pleased way as the entirety of her breasts were revealed to him and he captured one nipple, sucking and licking it hungrily.

Kagome gasped and arched into his mouth, her hand going to his hair in surprise. She had been expecting something to happen, but not this. Kagome could feel his hand exploring her body; he was showing her a new perspective of what sex could be like. "Naraku!" She gasped, his name whispered across her lips as his hand parted her yukata further. The heat from his body, still covered by his own clothes, pressed against her gently.

Naraku moaned as he started kissing her chest and then moved lower, kiss-by-kiss. When he had first taken her, he hadn't taken the time to really enjoy her body. But now, now that she was willing, he could take all the time he wanted. She arched against his mouth as he released her other hand and nipped gently at her flat stomach. 'It won't be flat for long,' he thought as he gently and carefully pushed her legs open.

Kagome couldn't believe he was being slow with her, not with how he had treated her last time. She gasped as she felt his fangs gently dig into her stomach. He didn't pierce her skin, but it had felt strangely pleasurable. Her newly freed hand went to join the other to entangle her fingers in his long hair. When she felt him push her legs apart gently, she hesitated. Since that day Naraku hadn't done anything to Kagome. Part of her was afraid it would hurt just as much as when he had raped her. She bit her lip and looked at Naraku fearfully.

"I won't hurt you Kagome," He whispered as he lowered himself over her, one hand on her stomach to hold her down and the other on her right inner thigh. "Trust me," he added as he flicked his tongue out to taste her. He grinned as she gasped and attempted to arch against his hand. He chuckled and his eyes rolled in his head as he took another taste of her. She was heavenly. Her musky scent surrounded his senses as he drove his tongue into her core, where he could taste her sweet honey.

Her body fought to arch against Naraku's hand as she felt his tongue circle her clit and then dive into her core. Her eyes were wide and her fingers convulsed in his hair as feelings she had never felt before invaded her body and mind.

Naraku kept up a slow pace, enjoying the taste of Kagome. Now was his chance to explore her body and to enjoy her. He would give her so much pleasure she would never doubt his love for her.

As he felt Kagome's first small orgasm, Naraku sat up on his knees. Before him lay a panting, flushed, and pleasured Kagome. Her cheeks were dark red, her chest heaving from breathing so hard. One hand had fallen to her stomach and the other onto her chest when he had sat up. Her eyes were half closed and she looked at him in pleasured contentment. Nowhere did he see hesitation or confusion, anger or nervousness. She had accepted what would happen and was giving herself willing to him. Naraku locked eyes with hers as he carefully started to remove his clothes. Her eyes never left his, even as he stood to remove his hakamas. He knelt again between her legs once more and sat perfectly still, allowing Kagome to look at him as much as he looked at her.

Slowly, her eyes left his and trailed down his body, her blush deepening as she looked at the well toned muscles. Very few scars flawed his skin and his chest was lightly dusted with dark hairs. Her eyes went no farther then his stomach, her still mostly innocent mind avoiding the most sexual part of his body.

Naraku chuckled softly as her eyes hesitated. He should have known she wouldn't look, he knew it would take awhile for her to get used to the idea of his hard, aroused erection. He slowly and carefully leaned over her, his arms propping him up over her so he wasn't physically touching her. He wouldn't take her yet, he still wanted to explore her body.

Silently and slowly, he recaptured her lips in a gentle and yet possessive kiss. He didn't explore her mouth with his tongue, no, he simple kissed her. As their kiss deepened Naraku felt Kagome's hands wrap around his shoulders and neck.

Kagome understood the sudden slowness Naraku was showing her. She was grateful for the carefulness he was giving her. She returned his simple and yet loving kiss, her eyes closing slowly.

The two explored each other, slowly but passionately. In this way they found sensual points on each other. When she ran her nails across the spider mark on Naraku's back, Kagome found he would gasp and arch against her in surprise. The harder she dug into his back, the more he would pant and moan. She would nip at his neck, similar to how he had previously done so, causing him to growl in pleasure. He was much taller then her, and his body covered hers. There wasn't any extra fat on his body though she was surprised to discover his body was softer then his muscles portrayed.

As their bodies moved against each other, a gentle pressure was applied to Kagome's lower stomach causing her to groan in pleasure. Naraku moved one hand to press down more and Kagome's head feel back and she panted softly. Her breasts weren't as sensitive as he had first hoped, but he knew they would be after child birth.

Both lost track of time as they learned about each others bodies. The pleasure both felt when skin met skin was enough to keep the two from even wondering about the outside world.

Inwardly, Kagome was surprised that Naraku was being so gentle and slow with her, but she didn't think much about it. Once during the time they spent kissing she compared Naraku to Inu-Yasha. She found the dog lacking in many ways. In that moment, her heart healed from the pain it had felt from years of neglect and rejection from Inu-Yasha. She realized then that the love she had thought she had felt for Inu-Yasha had been nothing more then companionship and warmth.

Cries of pleasure filled the room as Naraku started nipping and sucking on Kagome's left shoulder. He fondled her breasts and very gently lowered the tip of his hardened shaft to her entrance. He bit down gently and pushed slowly into her, only a tiny bit.

Naraku felt Kagome go still, her breathing still hard. He lifted his head and met her gaze. The two looked at each other for an unknown amount of time, unspoken words traveling between the loving gazes. Without breaking his gaze from her beautiful eyes, he thrust into her slowly and gently. Unlike last time, she was physically ready for him to take her. He went slow, watching for any sign of pain in those trusting blue eyes.

Only when he was completely inside of her did he speak.

"Kagome, I need to ask this before we continue," his words were soft, and Kagome could have sworn she heard fear.

Kagome nodded slightly indicating he could continue. Whatever it was he had to ask her, had to have been important since he was asking now of all times.

Naraku took a deep breath before continuing. "I want you Kagome. Not just now, but forever. What is left of my heart breaks at the thought of never having you as my mate. If we continue, I'll loose myself to my desire to make you my mate. I don't want to take you without your willingness," His words were hushed. Naraku was afraid that by voicing his love for her, she would turn away from him. He'd lost so many of his loved ones in the past; he did not want Kagome to be one of them.

Kagome's eyes widened slightly and she looked deeply into the violet eyes of the man she had fallen in love with. She could see the crimson starting to creep into the edges of the violet. He was asking her one last time before he mated with her. What man, or demon, would actually take the time to ask her to make sure? She felt tears in her eyes as everything he had done for her, even the times he hadn't actually harmed her in battle, the times when she realized he had been protecting her in a subtle way from battle, filled her mind and heart.

"I would be honored Naraku, to be your mate," her words were hushed as well, so as not to ruin the moment. The emotion in the air was almost fragile as her words reached Naraku's ears. He watched as a single tear rolled down her cheek and he leaned down to lick it away. He felt as if he would cry from the overwhelming joy he felt at hearing her words.

"When I take you as mine Kagome, I'll bite on your shoulder, leaving my mark. Your teeth aren't sharp enough to break skin, so I'll have to cut my shoulder for you to bite," he said as he rested his cheek against hers, his warm breath caressing the skin of her ear.

Kagome shivered and nodded. She wasn't keen on tasting any more blood, but it had to be important if Naraku was taking the time to explain it. She shifted slightly and gasped as she was reminded that he was in fact still buried within her.

With her nod, Naraku started moving slowly against her. He pulled out of her only half way before thrusting slowly back in. With each thrust, his demon side took over his body. 'Go slow,' his human side whispered, 'be gentle.' His human side was begging his demon side to be careful with Kagome. As much as the demon within Naraku wanted to just take Kagome fast and hard, he could feel the restraining hand of his human side.

Instinct took over at one point and as Naraku was pulling out. Kagome arched her hips and met his next thrust into her. The arching of her hips caused Naraku to thrust deeper and harder then he had planned. Kagome gasped and dug her nails into the spider mark on his back, causing him to thrust harder and faster into her. Naraku wrapped his arms around her as their bodies moved faster against each other, both Naraku and Kagome becoming desperate to fall over the edge.

The building pressure was becoming too much for Naraku, his fangs elongated and he placed them right against Kagome's shoulder. They barely pressed against the skin, causing two small drops of blood to appear. His eyes widened and he thrust faster then before, using his demonic speed, into Kagome.

He heard her cry out as she came, the clenching of her muscles causing Naraku to come as well. He bit into her shoulder, his fangs parting her skin smoothly.

The pleasure of her orgasm dulled the pain in her shoulder. Kagome panted and dug her nails into Naraku's back again and again as she felt him flex inside of her, stretching her tightened muscles. She felt Naraku shift slightly and a claw appeared against his shoulder. She watched in a detached way as that single claw dug into the pale skin of Naraku's shoulder.

"Bite," he whispered hoarsely against her bleeding shoulder. If she didn't bite fast then she could loose too much blood.

Starting to grow tired, she leaned forward and dug her blunt teeth into the wound. She choked slightly as the taste of his blood filled her mouth. Expecting to only feel the wound on her shoulder heal, like what had happened last time, she gasped in surprise when a strange sensation filled her body.

Not only did she feel her shoulder heal, but her body felt revived. She didn't analyze exactly what she was feeling, but suddenly the world became a little brighter. The softness of Naraku's skin against hers enhanced almost to the point of making her orgasm again. She panted and clutched Naraku close as her senses were suddenly overwhelmed by what was happening. She shivered and her eyes closed tight.

Naraku knew what would happen when they had exchanged blood and bite marks, but he had expected Kagome would know as well having traveled with a couple demons, a monk, and a demon slayer. He was not expecting the reaction he got though. Naraku felt Kagome grip him tightly and her heart beat raced. He looked at his mate worriedly. "Kagome, are you alright?" Naraku asked softly.

Kagome's eyes slowly opened. The world had dimmed a little and she wasn't as overwhelmed by the increased senses. "What just happened?"

Naraku frowned. Had no one ever taught her about demons other then how to kill them? "We mated. Since you are human, my demon blood has enhanced some of your senses as well as increased your life span," Naraku said carefully. "You're not a demon, but long as we're mated you'll be stronger and live longer."

Naraku sighed and his body sagged slightly as he lifted his body from hers. Both groaned softly as he pulled his flaccid length from her. He panted softly as he sat up and reached over for the kimono for Kagome. "For as long as I live, you will live. If I were to die, then you would revert to your normal life span," Naraku said, his eyes avoiding hers for some reason.

Kagome thought about this for a long time. She unconsciously pulled the kimono over her shoulders and held it closed. As she was thinking Naraku was getting dressed. 'In a way it's a good thing. Now I can raise Shippo properly. "I'll be stronger?"

Naraku nodded slightly. "Not by much, but you could fight off a lower demon effectively now without your miko powers."

"How long do you think you'll live?" She asked, her head tilting slightly at the question.

Naraku chuckled softly. "I have another few centuries of life left, as long as I'm not killed in battle."

'So not only will I live longer, but I'll probably be able to live long enough to see my family again,' she thought. She blinked in shock. Her mind had already concluded she wouldn't return to her time to stay. She would probably go back once to tell her family good bye, but after that she would stay here with Naraku.

So deep in thought she was, she didn't feel Naraku help her stand, nor did she feel Naraku help her dress.

Naraku watched his new mate worriedly, her expression never changing from contemplative. Was she regretting her choice so early? He had thought the demonic enhancements would make her happy, especially the long life. She had adopted a young fox demon, and now she could raise him and watch him live his life instead of dying before him.

Abruptly Kagome's stomach rumbled, pulling her from her thoughts and creating a blush across her cheeks.

Naraku smiled slightly and lead the way from her room and towards the dinning hall, where they would eat…and talk.

Over the next few days Naraku and Kagome were inseparable.

"I have something I want to give you Kagome," Naraku said as they finished lunch they had been eating.

Kagome blushed and pushed her hair out of her face. Part of her still couldn't believe she had mated with Naraku only a few days ago. 'He's not the monster I was lead to believe,' she thought contently as she stood at the same time as her mate. 'In the time I've spent with him, I've learned more then I could have ever imagined.'

* * *

><p>*Flash Back*<p>

"Kagura, where's Naraku?" Kagome asked the wind sorceress as she wandered the halls. She had just finished Shippo's writing lessons and had been hoping to spend some time with Naraku before lunch. Shippo sure seemed happy that she and Naraku were mated.

Kagura, who had just rounded a corner when Kagome caught sight of her smiled and waved her fan. "He's in his study, looking over some reports several of the villages have sent in." Kagura motioned her fan in the general direction. "Go down that hallway and take a left. It's a big door, you can't miss it."

Kagome nodded and thanked Kagura before following the directions given. Soon, she was standing outside a pair of rather elegant and large doors. Hesitantly, she knocked on them and waited for a reply.

"Enter Kagome."

Kagome pushed the door open and peaked in. At a large desk, sat Naraku. Surrounding Naraku were piles of neatly organized scrolls. Kagome nervously entered and looked around as she pushed the door shut with her back. It wasn't a large study, but the walls were lined with different works of art and what looked like books.

"What would you like Kagome?" Naraku asked as he looked up from a scroll he had been reading.

"I was just wondering what you were doing?" Kagome asked as she walked lightly over to Naraku to take a look at the scroll he had just set down. From what she could see upside down, it was a request for extra supplies from a town near the border of Naraku's lands.

"I'm reviewing reports from various towns and villages in my land. The eastern border has been hit badly because of the fighting. I've already authorized emergency supplies be sent consisting of grain, animals, building material, and extra blankets. Lower demons are taking them at the moment," Naraku said as he reached over and signed the scroll

"Is it a demon village?" Kagome asked as she looked at an already signed scroll reporting on the recent harvest.

"No, it's a human village," Naraku said as he looked up to see Kagome's reaction.

Kagome looked over the scrolls. "Naraku…"

"My lands are mostly at peace Kagome. Demons and Humans work and live together under my leadership. I don't discriminate between races or species," Naraku said as he stood and circled his desk to stand beside her. "I believe one day humans might just overpower demons. It's best if the two get along now."

Kagome nodded, but didn't say anything. She couldn't really, not without risking changing the future. But she was glad to find out that Naraku cared about his lands and people.

*End Flash Back*

* * *

><p>Kagome followed Naraku as he led the way from the palace and towards his garden. "What is the surprise?" She asked with a big grin.<p>

Naraku shook his head and sent a slight grin over his shoulder at her. "It's not much of a surprise if I tell you in advance now is it?"

Kagome laughed and nodded in agreement. "Not even a little clue?" she pouted and reached out to hold his hand.

Naraku grasped her hand lovingly. It was a custom she had taught him, since most couples didn't do such a thing. He liked it, since it allowed him to be in physical contact without seeming indecent. "It's a gift," he said cryptically.

Kagome shook her head and squeezed her hand. "I already know that."

"You'll just have to wait and see. Not much farther," He said as they continued into the center of the garden. They rounded the corner and Naraku led Kagome over to the bench next to the pond. "Stay here," he said as she sat down, carefully crossing her hands in her lap to keep the kimono completely closed.

Naraku was grinning as he walked over to the pound. Ignoring the koi, and Kagome's startled gasp, he reached into the center of the water. The koi swam around his hand, but otherwise ignored him. When he stood back up, he had something relatively small in his hand.

Kagome craned her neck to try and get a better look as Naraku turned and walked back to her. He stood behind her and asked her to stand. "This is what I wanted to give you," He whispered as he handed her the gold comb.

"Naraku! It's beautiful!" Kagome exclaimed as Naraku swept Kagome's hair up and then slid the comb in place. 'It's just like the one from my…my dream. Except it isn't broken,' she thought as realization swept over her.

The mystery man that had always been behind her, holding her, it had to have been Naraku. The comb linked everything into place even though she had only seen it once in her dreams. 'But that would mean I'm…' She couldn't be pregnant, not yet. Kagome didn't know if she was ready to have children as young as she was. She knew and understood that many girls her age already had several children by now in this era, but she hadn't been raised in this era. Besides, in her dreams the comb had been broken; it wasn't broken now.

Before her mind could start going in confusing circles, she felt Naraku's arms circle her from behind. She leaned into his arms, almost too naturally. 'Yes…just like my dreams,' she thought surprised that she wasn't as astonished as she should have been. It must be that in her heart she had always known it was Naraku she had dreamt about, though her mind had fought and denied it. She thought back to the first time she had actually seen him. She had felt something then, but had marked it down as hatred. Now though, she remembered every time she had seen him she had felt something tug in her heart and mind.

"It was my mothers, and it was her mothers before her," Naraku said as he nuzzled his mark on Kagome's shoulder. It looked even more beautiful on her then he could have guessed. He looked down into the pond, his arms wrapped comfortably around his new mate. His demon purred in contentment as he felt Kagome lean against him. Never before had he felt so happy, or at least not since his childhood. He sighed, he could stay like this forever, but that was not to be.

"Naraku! My Lord we're under attack!" one of his soldiers yelled from outside the garden. Naraku straightened and clutched Kagome tightly before letting her go. He knew this day would come, though he wished it could have been later. He told his garden to allow the soldier in. In a moment, the crane demon was at his side panting heavily and a gash on his head. Kagome gasped, but Naraku pushed her behind him.

"Report," he said sternly. His warm and content expression gone, his eyes hard.

"It is Inu-Yasha my Lord. The Inu-Hanyo attacks!"

"Where is he?" Naraku asked with a coldness Kagome hadn't heard since before he had kidnapped her.

"Just outside the barrier. He took the guards by surprise. The monk is attempting to take down the barrier, it won't hold for long," the crane said as the wound slowly closed. He must have come straight to Naraku the moment the attack happened.

Instantly, Naraku was heading for the exit of the garden. "Send someone to get Shippo and Kohaku here. Summon Kagura to my study, I have something I need to give her," Naraku said as he walked swiftly through the barrier before Kagome could follow. Before she could step through, he reinforced it and told it not to let her pass.

Kagome was about to exit when she suddenly felt a pressure hold her back. "Naraku?" She called out as he turned to face her. Something a kin to worry flashed through his eyes.

"I can't risk your life Kagome. Not now. Kohaku will bring Shippo here and protect you from any fighting that will take place." With that Naraku turned his back on Kagome and headed for the palace, he needed to give Kagura her heart as he had promised.

"Naraku!" Kagome yelled his name and pounded on the barrier. Her fists collided with the barrier with soft, silent bangs. She started to cry even as Kohaku arrived with Shippo.

"Momma, what's going on?" Shippo asked as Kagome picked up her son, her tears falling freely.

Kagome wanted to tell Shippo everything was going to be alright, but she had a horrible feeling that it wasn't. 'I have to get to Naraku!' she thought desperately.

In only a few minutes, the sound of fighting reached the small groups ears. What looked like Inu-Yasha's wind tunnel flashed. Kagome was starting to become desperate. The longer the fight took place, the more she felt something horrible was going to happen.

Suddenly, her heart gave a sudden wrench and she knew that something had happened to Naraku. Kagome handed Shippo over to Kohaku.

"I have to go to Naraku. Kohaku I need you to take care of Shippo alright?" Kagome asked with a weak smile and a tremor in her voice.

Kohaku nodded mutely and held onto Shippo even as the small kit struggled for release to get to his mother. Kagome pushed against the barrier, but it wouldn't budge. 'Please! Let me pass, I have to get to my mate!' she thought desperately as she pushed again. Suddenly, the barrier wavered. She pushed again and this time she was able to push through.

Shippo jumped free of Kohaku's arms, but when he ran to follow his mother, he ran into the barrier around the garden. When he had seen his mother push through, the strange comb she had been wearing pulsed red. "Momma, come back!" he called out even as Kagome started running towards the front of the palace.

'Please let Naraku be alright,' she begged whatever gods were watching over her.

* * *

><p>AN:

I'm almost done editing Naraku's Prisoner. Once I'm done I'll get started on rewriting Naraku's child.


	9. Chapter 9

Dislcaimer: Meh…lazy…read previous chapters.

Naraku's Prisoner

Chapter 9: The Battle

By Ethril Dragon

Kagome hiked up her kimono as she ran towards the entrance to the palace. With every slam of her feet into the ground she propelled herself around the building and towards the front gate. She stood panting for a moment before blinking and taking in her surroundings more clearly. Kagome gasped and started to take a step back when her gaze took in all the death and destruction before her. Kagome felt tears prickle her eyes as she looked at the fallen forms of both the human and demon guards she'd gotten to know over the last few months. Servants she now called her friends were scrambling through the desolation trying to save the few people that were still struggling to live. Kagome could see what weapons had done this; Hiraikotsu, the wind tunnel, and the Tetsusaiga. Kagome knew the marks from these weapons intimately.

"My lade it isn't safe!" One of the serving girls said as she grasped the sleeve of Kagome's kimono. Kagome's eyes left the fallen bodies and focused on the young butterfly demoness. One of her beautiful purple wings had a long gash.

"I'll be fine," Kagome said softly as she pulled away. "Where's Naraku?" she asked as she felt the ground shake suddenly. Kagome stumbled momentarily and the servant reached out to support her.

"Lord Naraku is fighting off the hanyo and his companions," The girl said, her wings fluttering slightly. Again Kagome pulled away.

'I have to get to him. He's hurt, I know it,' Kagome thought as she moved forward. Her heart pounded in her chest and it was all she could do to keep her expression calm and her feet steady. Kagome didn't know how she knew Naraku was hurt; just that she did.

What she didn't know was that with every step she took, the red jewel on the comb started to glow more and more strongly. The glowing pulsed and tendrils of light reached out to the nearby demons that were still alive. As Kagome passed by them their wounds slowly closed and the red light reflected in their pain filled eyes.

Kagome began walking faster as she heard a faint but recognizable voice. She couldn't hear his words, but Kagome would always know the sound of Inu-Yasha's voice.. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a white feather drifting on the wind and suddenly a few of the fallen demons became animated.

"You shouldn't be out here Kagome!" Kagura said as she floated the feather next to her friend. "You are supposed to be safe and protected behind Naraku's barrier," Kagura tried to halt Kagome's progress with her feather.

Kagome ducked under the feather, her fingers skimming over the soft underside of the feather. "I have to get to Naraku. I have too," Kagome said over her shoulder to Kagura.

As Kagura lifted back into the air, she manipulated the dead demons to form a protective circle around Kagome.

One of the demon corpses went forward to go around the last corner. Just as the corpse rounded the corner it was knocked down by Hiraikotsu. Kagome felt her heart jerk as she watched the demon's body be split in half by her friends giant boomerang.

"Kagome!" Sango suddenly yelled, pulling Kagome from her silent prayers. Kagome blinked and gave a surprised laugh as she recognized the demon slayer she called sister. Sango grabbed her boomerang and raced over to her lost friend. "You're alright!"

Kagome nodded and looked around. "Where's Naraku?" There was fear in her voice that Kagome could not mask; fear that Sango misunderstood. The feeling of impending doom was getting stronger and her heart felt as if it was being squeezed by a fist.

Sango smiled warmly and comfortingly. She slipped an arm around Kagome and held her briefly.

"Fighting Inu-Yasha. It won't be long now Kagome; we won't let that monster hurt you ever again." Kagome grew pale and pushed past the demon slayer and towards the fighting, where the noise was coming from.

Sango followed, thinking Kagome only wanted to see Naraku die.

The closer they got, the more intense the frightening feeling became. Kagome had to get to her mate or else she knew she'd lose him forever. They rounded another corner and Kagome stopped and gasped in surprise. Before her were Inu-Yasha and Naraku. Naraku's armor was almost completely gone and to Kagome's horror he was missing an arm. Kagura was holding off Miroku as best she could. Lying on the destroyed and ripped up ground was the mangled body of Kikyo.

"You'll pay for what you did to Kagome!" Inu-Yasha yelled at Naraku, who was attempting to regenerate his arm.

"And what did I do to her exactly?" Naraku asked his voice as steady and calm as it always sounded when he was in battle. Kagome knew better now, she could hear the pain and unsteadiness in her mates voice.

"You took her away!" Inu-Yasha said as he raised Tetsusaiga for another attack. Before Inu-Yasha could release another windscar, Naraku knocked him back with one of his poisonous tentacles.

"She wasn't harmed mutt. Why don't you go home before I kill you?" Naraku said as he sent another tentacle towards Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha jumped back, avoiding another injury. From where she stood Kagome caught a glimpse of Inu-Yasha's eyes. She could see red mixing with the amber. Inu-Yasha lifted his sword and launched himself at Naraku once more, intending to slice Naraku in half from his shoulder to his hip.

Fear enveloped Kagome and she heard herself yell. This distracted Inu-Yasha, and instead of finishing Naraku with a killing blow, he simply stabbed Naraku in the stomach. Naraku slashed his claws over Inu-Yasha's shoulder, knocking him away by several yards.

"Kagome what are you doing here?" Naraku whispered as he jumped away from Inu-Yasha. His words were hushed, fearful and his eyes were wide with concern.

Inu-Yasha hesitated and looked back at Kagome. In his barely controlled state all Inu-Yasha saw was a scared and shaking Kagome. His anger became worse as he only registered her fear and not the source. His eyes snapped to Naraku and he began to stalk towards the spider demon slowly. "You. Hurt. Her," He said slowly. "I'll kill you," with each word his voice got louder and a pulsing surrounded his body. It wouldn't be long until he lost full control of his demon side even with the Tetsusaiga in his hands.

Kagome, recognizing the danger, started running with all her strength towards Naraku. She distantly heard people yelling at her to stop, but she didn't listen. Her eyes and mind were only on Naraku. She vaguely saw Inu-Yasha raise his sword. She barely registered him yell his attack just as she reached Naraku.

Time slowed for a moment as she waited for Inu-Yasha's attack to hit them. She felt Naraku's remaining arm go around her waist and she felt her feet leave the ground. Naraku had barely been able to jump out of the way of the wind scar. As his and her feet touched the ground, silence engulfed the battle field. Kagome hesitantly turned her head to look at her friends.

Their expressions hurt her. Kagome saw surprise, confusion, hesitation, fear, and anger fill their eyes as she turned her head away from them. The anger she saw in Inu-Yasha was too much for her to take. Kagome clutched at Naraku's armor and she closed her eyes to avoid the hurt expressions of her friends. After a moment of hiding, Kagome chanced a glance over at Inu-Yasha. His bangs were hiding his eyes from her. His fists, she could see, were tightly clenched and his body was shaking heavily.

"Kagome…what?" Sango's words were soft, but everyone could hear them in the silence after the battle.

"Kagome is my mate," Naraku stated calmly, his arm tightening around the small woman clinging to his chest. Kagome hid her face against Naraku's chest once more.

"How could you?" Inu-Yasha whispered and then said it again with a yell causing Kagome to flinched and Naraku to growl.

"You broke her heart dog. You loved another and didn't show her the respect she deserved. I gave her what she wanted, what her heart wanted," Naraku said through bared fangs.

Inu-Yasha growled angrily. "How could you ever give her anything? You're nothing but an evil vile creature that kills everything. You're probably controlling her somehow." Inu-Yasha said, his voice and mind hurrying to make an excuse for the betrayal he felt. "You forced her to be your mate!"

"SIT!" Kagome yelled suddenly and loudly sending Inu-Yasha face first into the dirt. She turned slightly in Naraku's arm to look at the man she had once loved. "Naraku's not what we all thought he was. He's kind, sweet, caring, strong, brave, and intelligent. And I love him!" Her voice never hesitated, her words never faltered. Kagome would proclaim her love for Naraku as often as she needed too to get Inu-Yasha and the others to believe her. "He didn't trick me, he didn't force me," Kagome continued. "Naraku let me make my own choice."

Inu-Yasha stilled and his eyes went wide in shock. Miroku and Sango glanced at each other trying to figure out what the hell was going. When the spell wore off, the inu-hanyo very slowly pushed himself up off of the ground. His hand released his sword suddenly and it clattered to the ground. The sound of his sword clanging against a rock was the only sound to fill the silent void. He was silent as crimson quickly seeped into his eyes. Kagome gasped and felt as Naraku tried to push her away from him.

Kagome felt another pair of hands grab hold of her as Naraku pushed her away. Kagura was struggling to pull Kagome onto her feather even as Kagome struggled to break away and hold onto Naraku.

That was when Inu-Yasha attacked. Inu-Yasha's target was not Naraku, but Kagome. He jumped into the air and aimed a swipe of his claws at Kagome, only to be knocked away by Naraku.

"Get her out of here!" Naraku yelled as he sent a series of tentacles straight at Inu-Yasha.

Miroku and Sango, not knowing who to assist, retreated by several yards to avoid the out of control hanyo. They were torn between helping Inu-Yasha, and trusting Kagome. They knew Kagome rarely made wrong decisions, and Miroku could sense with his holy powers that Kagome was not being controlled.

Inu-Yasha's anger was focused completely on Kagome. His demon side felt betrayed, feeling as if its future mate had betrayed him for the enemy. He came close in his second attack, but missed as the feather veered away suddenly. In desperation he grabbed the feather and his claws shredded it as Naraku attacked again. He was flung away from the destroyed feather as he quickly descended.

Kagura controlled the feather as best she could, but Inu-Yasha's claws had done horrible damage too it. "You have to run Kagome! We'll hold him back!" Kagura said as she opened her fan. "Go back to the garden, the barrier will protect you!". Kagome shook her head slightly; she was in shock that Inu-Yasha was attacking her. She had not thought her mating to Naraku would cause Inu-Yasha to go into a blood frenzy like this. "Run!" Kagura yelled as Inu-Yasha launched himself towards her again.

Inu-Yasha dodged Naraku and ignored the wounds Naraku caused as he flung him off his course. His only purpose was to kill the traitorous bitch that had left him. As Naraku came at him again, he roared and dug his claws into Naraku's stomach.

Blood splattered from Naraku's mouth as he was sent flying. His body hit the ground and rolled a few feet before lying still.

Kagome felt ill and her legs were suddenly week. Her eyes went wide as she stumbled backwards in fear as Inu-Yasha raced towards her. Kagura attempted to stop the hanyo, only to be clawed at and fall away unconscious, possibly dead.

Kagome's knees buckled and her heart pounded as she fell to the ground. Her heart wrenched and she looked at her mate one last time as Inu-Yasha's claws descended on her. In her heart she could feel Naraku's life force leaving his body. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she gave a silent wish, a plea, to any god that could hear her, to save her mate. She closed her eyes as Inu-Yasha's claws reached her head. She winced as she anticipated the the feeling of claws digging into her skull, but instead she felt them hit the comb Naraku had given her. Instead of breaking and his hand continuing on, the comb flashed and halted Inu-Yasha's movement.

Inu-Yasha's eyes went wide and he jumped back, only to attack again. With each attack the comb gave off a flash of red light. The comb protected her again, but with as much force Inu-Yasha was putting behind his attack, the gem of the comb gave off a tiny cracking sound. As the crack spread a burst of light exuded from the comb. Inu-Yasha was thrown away and his demon side was locked away for the moment, his eyes turning gold once more.

Kagome opened her eyes slowly and felt a small breeze pick up and play with strands of her hair. She blinked and looked at the fallen form of her mate.

Ignoring Inu-Yasha as he moaned and sat up; ignoring Miroku and Sango as the rushed forward to prevent any further attacks from Inu-Yasha; Kagome stumbled forward towards Naraku.

Disbelievingly, Kagome slowly fell to her knees next to the fallen form of her love. Her hand shook as she slowly reached out to push a strand of hair out of his face. His skin was still a little warm, but when she felt for a pulse, none could be found. A sob broke loose from her and she leaned over Naraku, pulling his head into her lap. Their love had been so brief that her heart just couldn't accept his death.

"Naraku…Naraku please don't leave me," She whispered futility, knowing his soul was already gone. She closed her eyes and sobbed, her tears falling onto Naraku's cheeks as she cried for her love. Kagome had dreamt of him, she'd wished for him without knowing exactly who he was, and now he was gone.

"You haven't lost him. Not yet," A deep and soft voice reverberated in the air behind Kagome. She looked up sharply and looked around quickly. Miroku and Sango were still keeping Inu-Yasha were he was and she couldn't see anyone else near by.

"I can save him. But he will be changed." She looked around again, searching for the man behind the voice.

"If you can save him, please do so!" She pleaded with the voice. "I can't lose him." As the words left her lips a light red mist swirled and the form of a black haired demon lord became visible. Kagome could see through his body and it seemed to flicker with each breath of air. She sucked in her breath as the demon lord bent over the body of Naraku and looked him over.

He reached out and gently touched Naraku's chest over his heart. The mist that was the demon lord's body wavered and swirled as it hovered and then entered Naraku's body. Kagome held her breath as the last of the mist trickled into Naraku's chest. 'Please…please save him,' she begged the spirit. She had no idea what he was doing or where he had come from; her only thought was a prayer for her mate to be saved.

Naraku's body suddenly jerked and he sucked in a deep breath. Kagome cried out, but had to shield her eyes when suddenly Naraku was engulfed with a bright light. She tried to look at him through cracked eyelids, but his body was completely engulfed. The light was too blinding.

Even though Kagome could not see what was happening she could feel it. The empty cold feeling that had been in her heart warmed and she could feel her senses becoming stronger once more as her bond to her mate returned.

When the light finally faded, a pair of arms encircled her. She felt lips touch her hair and she looked up into the crimson eyes of her mate. Kagome cried in happiness as Naraku leaned down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck on their own accord and her eyes slid closed as she melted into his kiss.

She vaguely heard a few people talking, but she didn't care anymore. Kagome had the love of her life back in her arms, and he was alive. When they finally pulled apart she got a good look at her revived mate. Her eyes went wide as she saw what the demon lord's spirit had said. Naraku was changed. "Naraku…you're…"

"A full demon. I don't know how, but I am," He said as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"The spirit of the demon lord brought you back…" Kagome said slowly.

"It seems the spirit of the demon fused his life force with Naraku's to save him," Miroku said as he hesitantly walked up to the kneeling pair. Sango stood behind him, her eyes warily watching Naraku.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes, at least until Kagura reentered the scene carrying Kohaku and little Shippo. Kagura had blood dripping from her head and her dress was torn and filthy, but otherwise she seemed unharmed. Sango cried out in joy as she rushed over to her brother and held him close. Naraku stood and began hesitantly speaking with Miroku. Even as he tried to talk to the monk, his arms were still wrapped tightly around Kagome. It seemed the spider demon did not want to let go of his mate quite yet.

Kagome looked past everyone, at the sitting and dejected form of Inu-Yasha. She winced and looked at him sadly. Everyone else would have a happy ending, except for the mistreated and forgotten half demon

"We'd better go speak with him," Naraku told Kagome softly. Those around them heard as well and the group turned to go to Inu-Yasha. With his arms still around Kagome, he lifted her up bridal style and carried her over to Inu-Yasha. "What do you have to say for yourself Mutt? You nearly killed Kagome, caused her more emotional pain then you ever have, and now you have hurt her with your silence. Give me a reason to not kill you right now!" Naraku snarled.

Kagome bit her lip, torn between agreeing with Naraku and feeling sorry for Inu-Yasha. Kagome placed her hand on Naraku's chest and sent a silent plea for him to put her down. He did slowly, his eyes glaring at Inu-Yasha the entire time. Kagome kissed her mate on his cheek before kneeling next to Inu-Yasha.

"I'm sorry Kagome. I…I didn't mean to attack you," Inu-Yasha whispered, his body quivering slightly. His shoulders shook and he kept his head down, his back towards Naraku and Kagome. He felt like his spirit had been torn apart and his heart ripped to shreds. It just wasn't fair that he'd lost the one woman that had actually loved him for who he was. "It's just…how could you choose him?" his question was soft and full of the pain of rejection.

"Inu-Yasha?" Her voice was hesitant and gentle. She reached out to gently touch his shoulder.

Inu-Yasha tensed and jerked away from Kagome's hand. "Go away Kagome. I can't trust myself around you," his voice was harsh and he sounded tired.

Kagome sucked in her breath, but did not remove her hand. "Inu-Yasha…please understand," she started to say.

"Understand what? That you mated with the demon that has tried to kill you?" He yelled, jumping up and away from her, his eyes still averted from her. "Understand that you chose him over me?" he breathed heavily for a moment, his body shaking.

"I'm sorry about your pain Inu-Yasha. I wish I could take that pain away," She said softly and slowly. "During my time here though…I saw a side of Naraku none of us had known existed. He cared about me; he loved me." She hesitated and touched Inu-Yasha's cheek softly. "Inu-Yasha?"

As if pulled from a trance, Inu-Yasha finally turned his head to look at the raven haired beauty. It almost looked like he was going to cry. He looked away again before wrapping his arms around Kagome. "I'm sorry I was angry at you so many times Kagome. I'm sorry I put you through so much pain. I wish I could go back and make everything right again." His body still shook and his arms tightened around Kagome,.

Kagome looked at him sadly and stayed silent. Kagome would never tell Inu-Yasha about her dreams, not after this. She couldn't tell him how she knew they really weren't meant for each other. She wouldn't do that to her friend. "We can't change what happened…but we can be friends again."

Inu-Yasha looked at her hopefully. He couldn't have her as a mate, but he wasn't going to give up his friendship with her. He didn't know how he would come to terms with Kagome being mated to Naraku though.

"I'm sure we can work something out," Naraku stated with a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "Come, night is approaching and I'm sure all of us could use a bath."  
>Kagome laughed softly and shook her head. Naraku's house ran efficiently even when he was in the middle of a great battle. "Kanna, speak with the head maid and have rooms prepared for our guests." Naraku told the void demoness, who had suddenly and mysteriously appeared. "And what of our late arrival?"<p>

"The Lord in question will arrive in the morning," Kanna stated as she turned and walked back into the palace.

The servants that had not been injured or who were not busy with the injured put together a dinner for Naraku and his guests. The guards that had not fallen worked on the burial rights for those that had. Although it was slow Naraku's faithful and loyal servants worked to make things normal once more.

At dinner the group was mostly silent as they ate at Naraku's table. The only talking was hushed; as if to much loud noise would break the strange peace. Sango questioned her little brother, Miroku asked Naraku questions about the windtunnel, and Kagome was talking quietly to Shippo and Kanna. The only person who was completely silent was Inu-Yasha.

Needless to say time passed rather quickly in Naraku's palace after the battle. Naraku convinced Miroku to stay on as his ambassador between humans and demons, Kohaku decided to stay on as one of Naraku's guards, Sango stayed because the two men she loved had decided to stay, only Inu-Yasha turned down Naraku's invitation to remain.

After two months of recovering and rebuilding his friendship with Kagome, Inu-Yasha announced he would leave to rediscover himself. So much had changed for the Inu hanyo and he needed to find his place in life again.

"You will always be welcomed back Inu-Yasha," Kagome whispered as she hugged her friend.

Inu-Yasha's arms went around Kagome and he kissed the top of her head, ignoring the warning and possessive growl from Naraku. He understood how he felt. If he hadn't been such an idiot, he might have been Kagome's mate. "I'll be sure to stop by every now and then."

Naraku moved forward and handed a small package to Inu-Yasha. "I have contacts all over Japan and in a few other countries. If ever you need money or supplies, just show them that ring and you'll get what you need," Naraku said as Inu-Yasha opened the package. Inside were a ring and a small hand mirror. "Every now and then I'll have Kanna contact you to keep you updated on any news."

Inu-Yasha nodded and placed the mirror and ring in his bag. He still wasn't used to the idea that Naraku wasn't an enemy anymore. He was still rather cold and detached towards everyone, but now at least he wasn't doing anything to harm anyone. He had even given the completed jewel back to Kagome. To everyone's surprise the jewel hadn't even been tainted when he handed it over. Miroku had explained that Naraku's love for Kagome must have cleansed the jewel of the darkness.

Inu-Yasha shifted his bag and gave all his friends one last hug before facing Kagome one last time. "If you need me, call for me. I'll be here as fast as I can," Inu-Yasha said before turning and jumping away before Kagome had time to say or do anything.

Kagome took a few steps forward, trying desperately not to cry.

Time continued to move forward. To everyone's surprise, except Kanna, Sesshomaru approached Naraku to ask to mate with Kagura. Sango and Miroku mated and as Naraku had predicted the windtunnel in Miroku's hand closed. Sango became pregnant soon after. It became Shippo's goal to make Kanna smile and laugh, so when he wasn't training he was spending all his time with Kanna.

Kagome and Naraku continued to take private walks into his garden. It was half a year later when Naraku finally approached Kagome about their future together.

Naraku's arms wrapped around Kagome's shoulders and he gently set his chin on the top of her head. "You'll be in heat soon my love," Naraku said softly as he looked into the pond they were standing next too. The koi fish continued to swim in slow, leisurely circles. The shikon jewel had replaced the comb within the pond.

"What are you saying Naraku?" Kagome asked, her eyes also following the koi fish.

Naraku sighed and gently turned Kagome in his arms so he was looking into her eyes. "I want to start a family Kagome, I want to have children we can raise together."

Kagome looked up at him lovingly and sighed. She knew he had been waiting for things to calm down before asking her to have his children. The battle with the eastern clan had finally subsided thanks to the alliance with the Northern and Western lands. "I would love that." She said with a soft smile.

Naraku looked at his mate for a moment and then shook his head. "Something is worrying you." It was a statement, not a question.

Kagome looked away and sighed. "I'm just worried about Inu-Yasha. He is my closest friend and I do miss him," Kagome sighed and laid her forehead against Naraku's chest. "I…I just wish he could find happiness and be able to keep it," Her words were whispered and filled with sorrow. She had found her happiness by being mated to Naraku, but she knew Inu-Yasha had suffered all his life with no one to love. It wasn't fair that he, who had suffered more than anyone else, was still alone. He had gotten close on a few occasions, but each time his love was taken from him. Kagome closed her eyes to fight off the tears.

Kagome felt her heart beat become stronger and she felt Naraku pull her closer. She sighed and frowned slightly as the beating sound grew louder and out of sync with her own. She turned her head to look at Naraku questioningly and noticed he was looking at the pond. She turned in his arms to look as well.

There, under the koi fish, was the shikon jewel. It was pulsing with a light pink aura and slowly rising out of the water.

"_Such a kind and unselfish wish,"_ a calm and feminine voice said. The jewel hovered at eye level and Kagome watched it mesmerized.

"I…I didn't mean to wish on the jewel!" Kagome whispered in surprise. Kagome thought that to make a wish on the jewel she would have to be holding it.

"_The wish came from your heart, young guardian. Such a pure and loving wish can not go ignored,"_ Before she could say or do anything else, the jewel pulsed one last time before fading from view. Kagome gasped as a pressure filled her body, forcing her to fall to her knees. She shivered and felt Naraku trying to comfort her, asking her what was wrong.

Suddenly, a blue light surrounded Kagome and she knew what the pressure was. 'I had hoped this wouldn't happen!' she cried out with her mind as the pressure became stronger and she could have sworn she felt her soul and heart being pulled at.

"Na-Naraku!" Kagome cried out in pain as her body shook. With the jewel gone, there was nothing to hold her in this time. She felt her entire body being pulled by the invisible bond of time.

Naraku wrapped his arms tighter around his mate and growled possessively. "I won't let you go!" He said angrily. Naraku could feel Kagome shaking in his arms and her body heat was starting to fade. On instinct Naraku sank his fangs into his mark on Kagome's shoulder and poured as much of his youkai into Kagome as he could.

Kagome vaguely felt Naraku's fangs sink into her skin, the pull from time numbing her body. As she felt a strange but familiar energy fill her body the numbness began to fade away and the world became clearer once more.

Slowly, the blue light faded and Kagome fell unconscious from the fight against time. Naraku kept his arms around his mate and his fangs buried in her shoulder as he rocked her gently. He frowned and slowly released his hold on her shoulder, pulling his fangs free. Naraku sniffed softly at his mate and frowned. Now, instead of just her human scent…she had a demonic scent. If he didn't know any better, Naraku could have sworn she smelled like a hanyo. Naraku looked at her unconscious form in confusion. Was it possible that his demonic energy had bonded to her and changed his mate?

They stayed like that for some time before Naraku stood up, lifting Kagome into his arms. He carefully carried her all the way back to their rooms.

Time seemed to slip past them and by the time Kagome finally woke up, it was completely dark out. She moaned softly and sat up on the futon she had been lying on. As she did, an arm fell from her chest. She blushed, seeing that her chest was bare and that only a blanket covered the rest of her. Her eyes traced the path of the arm to where it was connected and smiled lovingly at her sleeping mate.

She continued to watch him and when his body finally stirred and his eyes opened slowly Kagome felt heat spread throughout her body.

Naraku's arm came up and pulled Kagome back onto the futon, his eyes watching his mate the whole time. He felt Kagome shiver at his touch and his eyes met hers. A blush spread across her cheeks and he growled possessively.

"You know not what you do to me Kagome," He whispered as he sat up with his demonic speed and straddled her hips.

Kagome blushed as she realized he was as naked as she was. "And what is it I do to you?" she asked as the heat intensified and she squirmed under his gaze.

Naraku pressed his hard length against her and moaned as she arched against him. "I think you know." He leaned down and licked her neck gently and then took a long breath. He breathed in her scent deeply, his eyes rolling slightly at how deliciously wonderful it was. He sniffed again and realized why her scent was even more enticing and stronger then usual. "You're in heat my mate, a very strong heat." He said softly as he moved his body so that he sat between her legs rather then straddling her hips.

Kagome looked at him strangely and paused for a moment. "Heat? So soon?"

Naraku chuckled softly and placed the tip of his hardened cock against her wet entrance. "It doesn't matter when you're in heat Kagome, as long as we can start our family," With that he pushed quickly into her, pushing into her all the way to his hilt.

Kagome gasped and arched up against him in surprise. Her mind barely registered what he had said as her legs wrapped around her mate and her nails dug into his chest.

Naraku growled in pleasure and pounded into her, the need to mate was stronger then he'd ever felt it, even stronger then the times Kagome had been going through a normal heat cycle. Something was different. He didn't try to figure out, not in his current state of mind. His eyes rolled slightly and he moaned as Kagome ran her nails across his skin hard. He captured her lips in a searing kiss as he used one hand to gently push down on her stomach.

Kagome gasped and moaned louder, moving and arching against her mate, meeting his thrusts with her own. Her body shivered and she tossed her head back in pleasure, exposing her soft skin and mating mark.

Naraku grinned and leaned down to lick and suck on the mark.

Kagome shivered and arched against Naraku. It wasn't long until Kagome cried out in pleasure and leaned up to bite Naraku's shoulder where her own mating mark was.

Naraku gasped and thrust into her faster and harder as he felt her teeth break skin causing him to bleed. The feel of blood dripping from his shoulder, Kagome clinging to him, and her muscles tightening around him pushed him over the edge. He cried out and growled softly, leaning down to sink his own fangs into Kagome's mating mark on her shoulder.

Kagome panted and pulled back away from Naraku's shoulder, watching as the wound healed over. She moaned as she felt his length pulse in her, filling her completely. She panted and clung to her mate until he slowly pulled out of her and lay down next to her. He used his hands to gently turn her onto her side. He then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him.

"You do realize you'll be pregnant after this right?" Naraku asked softly, his lips touching hers lightly.

Kagome nodded and kissed him gently. "I do. Naraku," Her voice was soft. "I love you."

"And I love you Kagome," With that Naraku and Kagome fell asleep in each others arms, dreaming of what the future would hold for them.

* * *

><p>Preview for the sequel:<p>

Kagome cursed whatever gods were watching over her as she gripped the bed sheets with her nails. Kagura had created a cool, gentle breeze to try and cool her down. "Why is this so hard?" Kagome cried out as she felt another convulsion rack her body. Sango ran a damp clothe over Kagome's head. Her maids and the birthing woman were busy and she could hear hushed whispers. Kagome saw the worried glance a couple gave her. Kagome really wanted to strangle them.

"What? What's wrong?" Kagome demanded as she cried out again. The pain was becoming too much for her and she desperately wanted the baby out!

"My Lady, the birthing is taking to long…we…we might have to go hands on," The healer said. Kagome nodded her head quickly. She knew what would happen if the baby wasn't born soon, it would die and it was possible she would die with it. If this was her original time, she could have had it surgically removed by now, but it wasn't.

She felt hands on her stomach and she closed her eyes as another convulsion surged through her body. She wished Naraku could be with her physically, but men were not allowed in the room when a mother was giving birth. Kagome felt tears run down her cheeks and the mental caress from her mate. She could feel that he was getting increasingly worried.

"I can see the head!" the healer proclaimed and the birthing woman reached in to help the child be born.

Kagome panted and whimpered softly. Her whole body was on fire and she was exhausted. The healer moved up to touch her forehead and help her sip at an herbal tea. She heard a very angry scream suddenly and Kagome sat up, nearly knocking the cup out of the healer's hands. The door was shoved open and Naraku hurried into the room.

"Congratulations my Lord and Lady. It's a beautiful girl," The birthing woman, who happened to be a demon, looked very confused and handed the now bundled baby to Kagome.

Naraku noticed the strange expression the birthing woman was giving his newly born daughter. "What? What is wrong with my child?

* * *

><p>AN: well I'm done editing Naraku's Prisoner. On to Naraku's Child!


	10. Post Script

POST SCRIPT

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Whatever the heck you want to call these.

For those of you that don't know, I've already started the sequel "Naraku's Child". It's going to be its own separate story from here so go over to my profile and check it out.

I want to thank everyone for commenting and reading Naraku's Prisoner. It's been a project that I've been working on for a few years now and I'm glad that I'm finally done with the revisions and editing.

Naraku's Prisoner was an experiment for me that I feel was successful. My goal for this story was to explore character development and expository writing. The goal I had originally for this story was to find a way for a Kagome/Naraku pairing to work without first breaking Kagome's mind, will, or spirit. As time progressed that goal grew and changed into one where I wanted people to see that even an evil person could have good intentions.

Thanks again everyone and I hope you'll take the time to follow the sequel "Naraku's Child" following Naraku's first true born child and her adventures with Inu-Yasha.

Enjoy!

Ethril Dragon


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